Fort Griffin (3)

Fort Griffin (3) (1867–1881) - A U.S. Army post established 31 Jul 1867 by Ltc. Samuel D. Sturges, 6th U.S. Cavalry, and first named Camp Wilson for 2nd Lt. Henry Hamilton Wilson. The post was renamed Fort Griffin in 1868 after Colonel Charles Griffin, 35th U.S. Infantry, Commander of the Department of Texas. Abandoned 31 May 1881.

Fort Griffin Restored Bakery Building	Fort Griffin Restored Magazine Building
Fort Griffin Administration Building Ruins

Fort Griffin (3) History

In addition to providing protection for the local area Fort Griffin served as a jumping off point for settlers heading west and as supply location for buffalo hunters. The town of Fort Griffin grew up at the base of post and was known as a very rough and tumble place. As the Indian wars of the 1870's came to a close and the railroad bypassed Fort Griffin, the post was no longer necessary and it was closed on 31 May 1881.

Current Status

The site is now Fort Griffin State Historical Park. The partially restored ruins of Fort Griffin are on a bluff overlooking the old town site of Fort Griffin and the Clear Fork of the Brazos River Valley. The ruins include a hand dug well, a mess hall, a ghost building, barracks, a library, a rock chimney, a store, an administration building, a cistern, a hospital, a powder magazine, the foundation of the officers' quarters, the first sergeant's quarters, a restored bakery, and replicas of enlisted men's huts.

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Location: North of Albany, Texas on Hwy 283 at the old town of Fort Griffin, Shackelford County, Texas. Maps & Images Lat: 32.926700 Long: -99.230800 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 1280'

Sources:

• Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 151
• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 160

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Griffin
• Fort Griffin State Park
• Fort Griffin Records
• Fort Griffin

Publications:

• Cashion, Ty, A Texas Frontier: The Clear Fork Country and Fort Griffin, 1849-1887, University of Oklahoma Press, 1997, ISBN-10: 0806128550, ISBN-13: 978-0806128559
• Rister, Carl Coke, Fort Griffin on the Texas Frontier, Univ of Oklahoma Press, 1986, ISBN-10: 0806119810, ISBN-13: 978-0806119816

Visited: 15 Nov 2011

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