In 1850, Andrew Litch (1883-1906), a native of Germany, arrived in California. During the 1860s, he operated a trading post, the Granite Creek Station. In 1866, he abandoned the station and moved to the Honey Lake Valley. In 1868, he entered into a partnership with Thomas J. French. That year, they purchased the Shaffer Brothers Ranch (known today as Mapes) for $2,500.. In 1874, the two men dissolved the partnership and Litch received the western part of the ranch. In 1883, Litch moved to Reno, Nevada, though retained ownership of the ranch and leased it.
In 1895, B.F. Gibson married Andrew’s daughter,Clara Litch, and he took over his father-in-law’s ranch. In 1912, construction began on the Fernley & Lassen Railroad that went through the Litch property, now owned by Gibson. On January 8, 1913, Gibson had subdivision created for a new town, served by the railroad. He named it Litchfield, in honor of his father-in-law.