By Oliver Beckwith

At the Monrovia Historical Museum, I enjoy telling our guests the story of our city’s beginnings. I often share that the city’s 1887 incorporation story has something to do with saloons and the founders’ desire to get rid of them. The community began in May of 1886, and by the fall of 1887 Monrovia was growing quickly.​

​Saloons were allowed in Los Angeles County, thus they were allowed in