Lower Lake Stone Jail Lower Lake Stone Jail Lower Lake Stone Jail, in Lower Lake, California, is a one-room jail claimed to be the smallest jail in the United States, was erected in 1876 of stone locally quarried and reinforced with iron. During the days of the first quicksilver operations of the Sulphur Bank Mine, lasting from 1873 to 1883, rapid town growth and the urgent need for civil order necessitated the building of a jail. Stephen Nicolai, one of the first stonemasons in Lower Lake, built the jail from local materials with the help of Theodore and John Copsey. The tiny jail is
Greenleaf Lake State Recreation Area a few years of discussion, the Minnesota Legislature authorized Greenleaf Lake State Park in 2003 and appropriated $500,000 to buy property from Geyer and other willing landowners. However the DNR claimed it did not have the funding to run its existing parks, much less plan, develop, and maintain a new one, and the project languished. In March 2007 the DNR and legislature reached a compromise, reestablishing Greenleaf Lake as a state recreation area for lower operation and maintenance costs. At the same time DNR officials began eagerly negotiating to establish Lake Vermilion State Park in northern Minnesota, prompting criticism from