Pomo Bluffs is a park located on the ocean bluffs at Todd’s Point, overlooking Noyo Bay, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Fort Bragg, in the community of Noyo, California. This 25-acre (10-ha) park was acquired through grants from the California Coastal Conservancy and the California Department of Transportation. The city park offers access to stunning views of the coastline, which are preserved and protected in perpetuity.

The community of Noyo is located at the mouth of the Noyo River. Early white settlers mistakenly named the river after a Pomo village called Noyo, which is actually several miles north on Pudding Creek. The Pomo had originally named the creek after their village, but settlers transferred the name to the larger river to the south. Today, the city limits of Fort Bragg extend to within a block of the bluff’s edge. The few houses outside the city limits, along with the commercial buildings near the Noyo River, are still referred to as “Noyo.”

The land surrounding Noyo Bay was originally home to the Pomo tribe. In 1855, the Bureau of Indian Affairs visited the area to identify a site for an Indian reservation, and by spring 1856, the Mendocino Indian Reservation was established at Noyo. In June 1857, First Lieutenant Horatio G. Gibson set up a military post on the reservation, naming it after his former commanding officer, Captain Braxton Bragg, who later became a Confederate general during the Civil War. The Mendocino Indian Reservation was discontinued in March 1886, and the land was opened for settlement several years later. In 1885, C.R. Johnson, founder of the Union Lumber Company, along with partners Calvin Stewart and James Hunter, relocated a lumber mill from Mill Creek to Fort Bragg, taking advantage of the harbor for shipping. Read more here and here. Explore more of Pomo Bluffs and Noyo Bay here: