Kibesillah, Mother of Fort Bragg
To walk the rolling hills in this lush area 12 miles north of Fort Bragg, it's difficult to imagine the bustling towns of Kibesillah and Newport that once overlooked the Pacific Ocean.
“Although many people may not know it, Fort Bragg is the direct descendant of Kibesillah.”
So wrote Budd Salsig in his article, “Kibesillah, Mother of Fort Bragg,” in the 1935 Fort Bragg High School yearbook, Breath of Ocean. Budd Salsig’s family were pioneers in Pt. Arena, south of Mendocino.
Many have written or excerpted articles about Kibesillah and Newport, but Budd Salsig’s description is one of the more colorful:
“In its prime, Kibesillah consisted of numerous hotels, a couple of stores, several harness shops, a church and a generous complement of saloons. Its chief support was its business in lumber, ties, bark and posts. The sawmill that had been erected at Kibesillah was very soon moved to Ten Mile. The mill didn’t run during the rainy season, and during that time the saloons were overflowing with gamblers, drunken tie makers and other mill employees. Stacks of $20 gold pieces decorated tables everywhere. The population went around dressed most viciously, usually carrying large knives or pistols.”
Kibesillah and the neighboring town of Newport were definitely wild Western towns, but they were not uncivilized. Kibesillah was home to a weekly newspaper, the North Coast Review, and the district office for the North Pacific Telegraph Company. More than one church thrived in Kibesillah, and by 1878, the Blue Ribbon Temperance League had a firm grip on the town. Newport, its neighbor one mile to the south, was the site of the lumber chute and sawmill and, at various times, the company store, the power plant and the foreman’s house.
