Fort Bragg Mendocino Coast Historical Society

The Guest House Museum located at 343 North Main Street, Fort Bragg, and the Historical Society Archive located in the old gymnasium at City Hall, 416 N. Franklin Street, Fort Bragg, house the history of Fort Bragg from the early days to present. Contact the Society at 707.964.4251 for more information.

To take a guided tour of the City’s public records archives, contact the Clerk at 707-961-2823 ext. 104.

The City of Fort Bragg was incorporated on August 5, 1889. It took only three weeks before the Board of Trustees introduced its first Ordinance: "Disturbing the Peace." The ordinance specified stiff penalties for violation of the ordinance -- up to $200 and 90 days in jail -- for those persons who were loud and unruly, ran horses or shot guns in the streets, or used profanity in front of women and children.

Ordinance No. 1 - Disturbing the Peace

The Board of Trustees of the City of Fort Bragg do ordain as follows:

Every person who maliciously and willfully disturbs the peace or quiet of any neighborhood or persons by loud or unusual noise, or by tumultuous or offensive conduct or threatening, traducing, quarreling, challenging to fight or fighting, or who in the public streets run any horse, either for wager or for amusement, or fire any gun or pistol within said City, or use any vulgar, profane, or indecent language within the presence or hearing of women or children, or in a loud or boisterous manner, or who shall disturb any public meeting of the citizens, or any part of them, or any church service or any person in attendance therein, or any school, or any persons not for their own or the improvement of others, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Any persons found guilty of any of the acts in the first section of this ordinance shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two hundred dollars or by imprisonment in the City Jail for not more than ninety days or by both fine and imprisonment or either, in the discretion of the City Recorder.

This ordinance shall take effect at twelve o’clock noon, September the 12th, 1889. Introduced August 27th, 1889. Passed September 3rd, 1889.

Signed,

C. R. Johnson, Pres, Bd of Trustees
H. A. Weller, Clerk