Fort Bragg, California

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Other uses Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Fort Bragg is a city along the North Coast of California in Mendocino County. The city is Template:Convert west of Willits,<ref name="CGN">Template:California's Geographic Names</ref> at an elevation of Template:Convert.<ref name="gnis" /> Its population was 6,983 at the 2020 census.

Fort Bragg is a tourist destination because of its views of the Pacific Ocean. Among its points of interest are Glass Beach and the California Western Railroad (popularly known as the "Skunk Train").

A California Historical Landmark,<ref name="CHL">Template:Cite ohp</ref> Fort Bragg was founded in 1857 prior to the American Civil War as a military garrison rather than a fortification.<ref>Hogle, Gene (1931). NAC Green Book of Pacific Coast Touring. National Automobile Club. p. 43</ref> It was named after army officer Braxton Bragg, who at the time had served the U.S. in the Mexican–American War (and would later serve in the Confederate Army during the Civil War). The city was incorporated in 1889.<ref name="incorporation"/>

History

Template:More citations needed section The area known as Fort Bragg was home to Native Americans since before Western expansion, most of whom belong to the Pomo tribe.<ref name="jughandle_history">Template:Cite web</ref> They historically were hunter-gatherers who lived along the northern coast of California.<ref name="nwfsc_profile">Template:Cite web</ref>

1855–1867

In 1855, an exploration party from the Bureau of Indian Affairs visited the area looking for a site on which to establish a reservation; in the spring of 1856, the Mendocino Indian Reservation was established at Noyo. It was Template:Convert in size, and its boundary extended north from what became Simpson Lane to Abalobadiah Creek and east from the Pacific Ocean to Bald Hill.

In the summer of 1857, 1st Lt. Horatio G. Gibson, then serving at the Presidio of San Francisco, established a military post on the reservation, approximately Template:Convert north of the Noyo River, and named it for his former commanding officer Capt. Braxton Bragg, who later became a General in the Army of the Confederacy.<ref name="la_times">Template:Cite news</ref>

Gibson and Company M, 3rd Artillery, left Fort Bragg in January 1859 to be replaced by Company D, 6th Infantry, which stayed for two years and continued to build up the post.

In June 1862, Company D, 2nd California Infantry, were ordered to garrison the post and remained until 1864. In October of that year, the Fort Bragg garrison was loaded aboard the steamer Panama and completed the evacuation and abandonment of Mendocino County's first military post.

The Mendocino Indian Reservation was discontinued in March 1866, and the land was opened for settlement three years later.

The last remaining building of the Fort Bragg military post is located at 430 North Franklin Street. It may have been the Quartermaster's storehouse and commissary or surgeon's quarters or hospital.

The approximate boundaries of the fort extend from the south side of Laurel, east from the railroad depot to the carriage road behind Franklin, down the lane to a point Template:Convert south of Redwood Avenue, west on Redwood to just beyond the Georgia-Pacific Corporation company offices, then north to connect with the Laurel Street border at the railroad station.

1867–1892

By 1867, the reservation and military outpost at Fort Bragg were abandoned. By 1869, small lumber mills were being built at the mouth of every creek. Ranches were settled. By 1873, Fort Bragg had an established lumber port at Noyo.

In 1869, after the fort was abandoned, and the land surveyed by the U.S. Geological Survey, the land of the reservation was returned to the public and offered for sale at $1.25 per acre to settlers. In 1885, C. R. Johnson who, with partners Calvin Stewart and James Hunter, had been operating a sawmill in Mill Creek on the Ten Mile River, moved their mill machinery to Fort Bragg to take advantage of the harbor for shipping.

The company incorporated in 1885 as the Fort Bragg Redwood Company. In 1891, after merging with the Noyo River Lumber Company, it was renamed the Union Lumber Company.

The Fort Bragg Railroad was founded to haul logs to the mill. The first rails were run up Pudding Creek and, in 1887, reached Glen Blair. A San Francisco streetcar was purchased to carry loggers and their families on Sunday excursions to the woods.

Fort Bragg was incorporated in 1889 with C. R. Johnson as its first mayor, and Calvin Stewart drafting its plat maps.

Built in Fort Bragg for Horace Weller in 1886, the Weller House is the oldest existing house in the city. Since 1999, this house, converted into a hotel, has welcomed tourists from around the world.

1893–1916

The Union Lumber Company was incorporated in 1891 by absorbing some of the smaller lumber companies in the area. Some of the new company lands were in the Noyo River watershed east of Fort Bragg making removal of logs difficult by rail, unless a tunnel was built. Johnson hired experienced Chinese tunnel builders from San Francisco. After completion of the tunnel, most of the Chinese settled in Fort Bragg and Mendocino. A six-walled Chinese town was built at Redwood and McPherson. Older residents say that eventually most of the Chinese children moved elsewhere.

In 1901, the Union Lumber Company incorporated the National Steamship Company to carry lumber, passengers and supplies. As the only link to manufactured creature comforts, staples like sugar and coffee were delivered by steamship. In 1905, the California Western Railroad and Navigation Company was established and plans were pushed to get the rail line all the way to Willits, where train connections to the Northwestern Pacific would link to San Francisco.

The 1906 earthquake resulted in a fire that threatened the saw mill and the city. Within Fort Bragg itself, all brick buildings were damaged. Only two were not destroyed completely. Many frame houses were knocked off their piers. The fire downtown burned the entire block bordered by Franklin, Redwood and McPherson Streets, plus the west side of Franklin. The west Franklin block burned down to approximately one half a block beyond the intersection of Redwood and Franklin.

After the earthquake, most downtown reconstruction was completed within 12 months. Coincidentally, the earthquake brought prosperity to Fort Bragg as the mills furnished lumber to rebuild San Francisco, and the lumber ships returning from San Francisco were ballasted with bricks used for rebuilding Fort Bragg.<ref name="bricks">Template:Cite news</ref> With the new prosperity, the rail line to Willits was completed and in 1912 the first tourists came to Fort Bragg. By 1916 Fort Bragg had become a popular place to visit—and to settle.

Since 1916

Commercial fishing has also played an important role in the economic base of the community. Once a major commercial fishing port, Fort Bragg was well known for producing quality fish products that were distributed to major metropolitan markets.

In 1916, the Union Lumber Company built a railroad from the South Fork of Ten Mile River to Fort Bragg,<ref name="CDPR1995">Template:Cite book</ref> where its operations were.<ref name="Melendy1952a">Template:Cite book</ref> By 1929, what lumber could not be sent by rail to the company mill at Fort Bragg was handled by the mill at Pudding Creek owned by the Glen Blair Redwood Company.<ref name="Melendy1952a"/><ref name="Melendy1952b">Template:Cite book</ref> The Union Lumber Company established its own post office on Churchman Creek to service its logging camps there in 1931,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but it operated only until 1932.<ref name="CGN"/> The railroad was removed in 1945 as rail transport was replaced by truck haulage; nowadays it is a recreational corridor in MacKerricher State Park.<ref name="CDPR1995"/>

In 1969, the Union Lumber Company was purchased by Boise Cascade and John Quincy and it became Georgia Pacific Lumber Company in 1973. The mill was shut down in 2002 after being identified as a nonperforming asset. The Template:Convert piece of property within the city limits takes up almost the entire coastline of Fort Bragg, including Fort Bragg Landing.

Template:As of, the mill site was sold and is undergoing redevelopment, including removal of toxic waste.

Calls to rename the city

In 2015, members of the California Legislative Black Caucus petitioned Fort Bragg to change its name due to Braxton Bragg's links to the Confederacy.<ref name="la_times" /> The mayor of Fort Bragg at that time, Lindy Peters, stated that there was not really much interest among the residents, and cited the costs that every company and institution in the area would have to pay to change all of the addresses.<ref name="cbs">Template:Cite news</ref>

There were further calls to change the name in June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd. On June 22, the Fort Bragg City Council considered whether to put a proposition on the November ballot asking its residents if they would like a name change,<ref name="SacBee-Jun 14">Template:Cite news</ref> but decided instead to form an ad hoc committee to explore options for the city's name.<ref name="LA-Jun 23">Template:Cite news</ref> They estimated the cost to change the name would be $271,000. Among the alternative options that were explored was to simply rededicate the city to a different notable person named Bragg.<ref name="LA-Jun 23"/> By late January 2022, the commission announced that it could not come to a consensus on a name change.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Meanwhile in 2022, the active military fort of the same name in North Carolina was renamed to Fort Liberty. The military fort has been renamed back to Fort Bragg since 2025, although officially named for Roland L. Bragg, a World War II US Army paratrooper.

Geography

Fort Bragg has an average elevation of Template:Convert above sea level.<ref name=gnis />

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert, comprising 1.44%, is water.Template:Citation needed

Climate

Due to Fort Bragg's location on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, the city has very mild weather throughout the year compared to most inland places. Most of the rainfall occurs from November to April with some occasional drizzle or light showers during the summer. Fog and low overcast are common, especially during the night and early morning hours. The climate experienced in Fort Bragg is classified as warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb).<ref name="wb_koppen">Template:Cite web</ref> Although formally known as dry-summer subtropical,<ref name="wb_koppen" /> Fort Bragg has very cool summer temperatures for a subtropical climate type. Its Mediterranean classification is due to the dry summers with very little rainfall.<ref name="wb_tempavgs">Template:Cite web</ref>

Freezing temperatures occur on an average of 11.6 days annually. The record maximum temperature was Template:Convert on October 5, 1987. The record minimum temperature was Template:Convert on December 21, 1990, and in 2016 there was an ice storm.Template:Citation needed Winter days always remain well above freezing. The coldest day on record was Template:Convert in 1972 and the coolest day of the year reached Template:Convert on average during the 1991–2020 normals.<ref name=NOWData/> The warmest night of the year averages a moderate Template:Convert and no overnight low has ever been recorded above Template:Convert.<ref name=NOWData/>

Average annual precipitation is Template:Convert. The wettest "rain year" on record was from July 1997 to June 1998 with at least Template:Convert and the driest from July 1976 to June 1977 with Template:Convert.<ref name=NOWData/> The maximum precipitation in one month was Template:Convert in January 1909. The maximum 24-hour rainfall was Template:Convert on February 6, 2015.<ref name=NOWData/>

Snow has only ever been recorded on three days, the largest recorded total being Template:Convert on December 6, 1913, the second being Template:Convert on January 6, 1907, and the third being Template:Convert on January 12, 1907.<ref name = NOWData/>

The extreme maritime effect of the Pacific Ocean is demonstrated by the fact that Fort Bragg has uniquely cool summers for cities on the 39th parallel north, both domestically and internationally. To illustrate the extremes of Fort Bragg, coastal climates with warmer summers than the city are found as far north as on the 66th latitude on the Bothnia Bay in between Sweden and Finland, a net latitudinal anomaly of 27 degrees. That is nearly one-third of the distance between the poles and the equator. In places some miles inland, consistently hotter summer temperatures are found, a phenomenon typical of the Californian coastline.

Demographics

File:Pudding Creek Trestle.jpg

Pudding Creek Trestle

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2010, there were 7,273 people, 2,812 households, and 1,644 families residing in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 3,051 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The ethnic makeup of the city was 74.8% Caucasian, 16.0% Mestizo,Template:Efn-la 4.6% multiethnic, 2.2% Native American, 1.5% Asian American, 0.7% African American, and 0.2% Pacific Islands American. 31.8% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino of any ethnicity.

There were 2,840 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,539, and the median income for a family was $36,000. Males had a median income of $25,833 versus $23,287 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,832. About 11.9% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

A trail that extends over a mile along the coast from the Noyo River Headlands north along the bluff over the Pacific Ocean reaches the former Georgia-Pacific mill site.<ref name="kcet">Template:Cite web</ref> It is accessible from Highway 1 (Main Street) at Cypress Street. The trail includes information signage about the area's pre-European residents, the Pomo Native Americans. The trail leads to a visitor center maintained by the Noyo Center for Marine Science. Offshore along the trail are rocks where harbor seals haul out and other sealife may be viewed.Template:Citation needed

Arts and culture

Built in 1892, the Guest House Museum served as lodging for the owners of Union Lumber Company, VIP visitors, and potential buyers of ULCO products. It has become the headquarters of the Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Historical Society, where visitors learn about the history of the area.<ref>[1], The Guest House Museum</ref>

The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is a Template:Convert garden along the coastal bluffs.<ref>[2], Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens</ref>

Glass Beach

File:Glass Beach Fort Bragg 2.jpg

Glass Beach in Fort Bragg

Glass Beach is on the edge of Fort Bragg, along the ocean. In the early 20th century, Fort Bragg residents threw their household garbage over cliffs owned by the Union Lumber Company onto what is now Glass Beach, discarding glass, appliances, and even vehicles.<ref name="MendoCom">Template:Cite web</ref> Locals referred to it as "The Dumps".<ref name="CNN06">Template:Cite web</ref> Fires were lit to reduce the size of the trash pile.<ref name="CNN06" /> In 1967, city leaders closed the area and various cleanup programs were brought on through the years to fix the damage. Over several decades the pounding waves wore down the discarded glass into the small, smooth pieces called sea glass that coat the beach. The area along the beach at the end of Elm Street is now visited by tourists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other points of interest

• The Pudding Creek Trestle
• Noyo Harbor
• MacKerricher State Park
• Russian Gulch State Park
• Point Cabrillo Light Station

Transportation

Fort Bragg is the western terminus of the California Western Railroad (otherwise known locally as the "Skunk Train"). Steam passenger service was started in 1904, and then extended in 1911 through the Coast Redwood forests to the city of Willits, Template:Convert inland. Started in 1885 as a rail route for moving large logs to the mills, the Skunk Train now offers scenic tours through the redwoods. In 1925 self-powered, yellow "Skunk" rail cars were inaugurated. The little trains were quickly nicknamed for their original gas engines, which prompted folks to say, "You can smell 'em before you can see 'em." In 1965 the line reintroduced summer steam passenger service between Fort Bragg and Willits with Baldwin-built steam locomotives Nos. 45 and 46, calling the colorful train "The Super Skunk". That train was discontinued in 2001 due to owing to the embargo of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, then revived in September 2006 as a special event train, currently the most popular attraction for tourists in the Fort Bragg region. No.45 and 46 are now out of service waiting for overhaul. Trains continue with diesel locomotives used to power excursion trains from Fort Bragg as far as Northspur, the CWR's midpoint, on selected weekends from summer to early autumn. Template:Citation needed

State Route 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway) passes through Fort Bragg, concurrent with and signed as Main Street within the city limits. It travels on two bridges while doing so, the Noyo River Bridge and the Pudding Creek Bridge. State Route 20's western terminus is in Fort Bragg at its junction with Route 1, traveling east it runs parallel and several miles south of the Skunk Train's route to Willits and beyond to Nevada City before terminating at a junction with Interstate 80.Template:Citation needed

The city also has a small private airport, with an Template:Cvt paved runway.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Government

Municipal government

photo of Fort Bragg City Hall

Fort Bragg City Hall

• Mayor: Bernie Norvell<ref name="city_council" /> (Elected December 2020; term expires December 2024)
• Vice Mayor: Jason Godeke<ref name="city_council" /> (Elected December 2022; term expires December 2026)
• Councilmembers:
  • Tess Albin-Smith<ref name="city_council" /> (Elected November 2022; term expires December 2026)
  • Lindy Peters<ref name="city_council" /> (Elected November 2022; Vice Mayor 2014–2016, Mayor 2016–2018; term expires December 2024)
• City Manager: Tabatha Miller<ref name="city_manager" /> (hired March 2018)

State and federal representation

In the state legislature, Fort Bragg is in Template:Representative,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Federally, Fort Bragg is in Template:Representative.<ref>Template:Cite GovTrack</ref>

Education

Children in Fort Bragg are served by the Fort Bragg Unified School District,<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref> typically attending Fort Bragg High School, Fort Bragg Middle School, Dana Gray Elementary and Redwood Elementary during their time in the public school system, though several alternative schools are available as well. In 2006, Three Rivers Learning Center, a charter school under the jurisdiction of Mattole Valley Charter School opened.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In popular culture

Several major movies have been filmed in and around Fort Bragg, including:

• Johnny Belinda (1948), a drama, based on the Broadway hit of the same name, starring Jane Wyman
• The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966), a comedy about a Soviet submarine that accidentally runs aground off the coast of New England, starring Carl Reiner and Eva Marie Saint
• Racing with the Moon (1984), a drama starring Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern, and Nicolas Cage
• Overboard (1987), a romantic comedy starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell
• The Majestic (2001), a romantic period drama starring Jim Carrey

Notable people

• Tom Hawkins, the probable writer of the Wanda Tinasky Letters<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Cammie King, child actress best known for Gone with the Wind, died in Fort Bragg in 2010<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Edward Norris, film actor who made over 70 films. Moved to Fort Bragg in 1997 and died there in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Ray Peterson, NFL player<ref name="RayPeterson">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Gregory E. Pyle, former chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Relocated to Durant, Oklahoma.<ref name="ChiefPyle">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Jim Ross, professional wrestling commentator and former company executive of WWE.<ref name="JimRoss">Template:Cite web</ref> Current AEW commentator and executive.
• Cornelius Vander Starr, founder of insurance giant AIG<ref name="aig">Template:Cite book</ref> and the Starr Foundation
• Emily Jane White, Neofolk singer<ref name="EmilyJaneWhite">Template:Cite web</ref>

Sister city

Template:Sister cities As a youth, Ken Sasaki noted that his home, Ōtsuchi, Japan, is located on the same latitude as Fort Bragg and in 2001 he contacted then-Mayor Lindy Peters and visited with a delegation to open discussions on a sister city agreement. Fort Bragg students visited Otsuchi in 2002 and the Sister City Proclamation was solidified in 2005 by Mayor Dave Turner. Other student exchanges were held in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010 and the next exchange was planned for July 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami devastation of Otsuchi, Mayor Turner ordered that city flags be flown at half staff until the end of March to honor the thousands of lives lost.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

External links

• Template:Official website
• Fort Bragg website, includes history, travel information, etc.
• CNN article on Glass Beach From trash to treasure: Unassuming coastal town home to glittering Glass Beach. By Susan C. Kim