There were two Litchfields—the town proper.and surrounding it ten acre parcels known as Litchfield Acres. During the 1890s and into the early 1900s there was a colony movement across the nation where one could reside in a community and work their farm property adjacent to the town. Readers may recall that Standish started out as a colony.
In 1913, with the arrival of the Fernley & Lassen Railroad through the Honey Lake Valley witnessed the developments of several towns—Litchfield being one of them. There was the town proper, and then adjoining the town, the property was subdivided into ten-acre parcels known as Litchfield Acres comprising some 570 acres. The promoters thought the ideal conditions found there, where one could make a comfortable living whether planting an apple orchard to growing alfalfa. Of course, the literature sounded good, but it was not enough to entice buyers. Litchfield’s growth was stymied by the fact it could not compete with the nearby established town of Standish. On the other hand, for a number of years, the Litchfield Depot was a busy place which became the major hub for shipment of agricultural products.