Final answer:
The information given does not explicitly state the function of recessed bays at the Old Minnehaha County Jail. Historical examples of recessed bays in other structures serve various purposes, including staircases, storage, and entryways but don't confirm the presence of bathrooms in the jail's bays.
Step-by-step explanation:
The recessed bays located at both ends of the three-story cross-section of the Old Minnehaha County Jail contained bathrooms. The information provided does not explicitly mention the use of these recesses for bathrooms in the Old Minnehaha County Jail. However, if we focus on historical structures in general, spaces like these could serve various functions depending on the specific design and period. Examples from history indicate that recesses could house important structural elements like staircase chambers, which is noted in the northwest and east corner chambers of the building.
Similarly, recessed areas might include podiums or altars, which were found in the central hall of a temple, or be utilized for storage, as indicated by wooden shelves in the walls of the northeast room suite. They could also be decorative or functional elements, such as the horseshoe arched entryways on the lower level of a mosque's façade. The provided excerpts primarily discuss archaeological and architectural features that can give us insights into the potential uses of recessed bays in historical structures but they don't directly answer the question about the Old Minnehaha County Jail bathrooms.