Fort Griffin
Fort Griffin | |
Texas State Historic Site | |
Texas State Antiquities Landmark | |
Nearest city | Albany, Texas |
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Coordinates | 32°55′38″N 99°13′56″W / 32.92722°N 99.23222°W |
Area | 204.6 acres (82.8 ha) |
Built | 1867 |
NRHP reference No. | 71000962[1] |
TSAL No. | 8200000559 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | March 11, 1971 |
Designated TSHS | December 21, 1935 |
Designated TSAL | January 1, 1983 |
Fort Griffin, now a
Other forts in the southwestern frontier fort system were
History
The original intent was to build permanent stone buildings, but throughout its 14-year existence, the fort retained a temporary appearance. Log houses called “picket” huts, tents, and rough frame structures were constructed as temporary shelter. The scarcity of materials, shortage of funds, and daily demands of military duty allowed for only six of the more than 90 buildings of the fort to be built completely of stone.[5]
Although considerable time was spent building and maintaining the fort, the majority of the time was spent defending and patrolling the frontier. Capt. Adna Chaffee fought the Comanche in a successful engagement in March 1868.[3]: 74 Companies F, I, K, and L of the Sixth Cavalry were augmented when Lt. Col. S.B. Hayman's 17th Infantry arrived on 3 June 1868.[3]: 30
The fort served as a starting point for many expeditions headed westward, and for a time, it had a substantial settled community that built up around it, catering to passing wagon trains and military personnel who sought saloons for entertainment during their free or off-duty hours. It is northeast of Abilene (established after 1880), the seat of Taylor County.
By 1870, a very rough town called "The flat" sprang up just north of Fort Griffin, which eventually became a stop-off point for cattle drives headed north to
General
Following the Red River War of 1874, the Comanche and Kiowa threat on the prairies waned, and rapid settlement by ranchers and farmer put Fort Griffin squarely in the settled area.[3]: 197 Capt. j.B. Irvine, commanding Company A, Twenty-Second Infantry lowered the flag for the last time and marched to Fort Clark on 31 May 1879.[2][3]: 197
In popular culture
The opening scenes of the 1957 movie Gunfight at the O.K.Corral, in which Doc Holliday kills a man in a saloon fight while Wyatt Earp looks on, take place in Fort Griffin.
Fort Griffin is the setting of the final scene in Cormac McCarthy's 1985 novel Blood Meridian. It is portrayed as a center of prostitution and violence.[6]
Gallery
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Hospital
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Hospital marker
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Clear Fork of the Brazos River looking from the top of "Government Hill"
Preservation
On January 1, 2008, Fort Griffin was transferred from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to the Texas Historical Commission.
During the last two weekends of June, the
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Fort Griffin has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.[7]
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Shackelford County, Texas
- Texas Forts Trail
- Forts of Texas
- List of Texas state historic sites
- List of ghost towns in Texas
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c Carter, R.G., On the Border with Mackenzie, 1935, Washington D.C.: Enyon Printing Co., p. 49
- ^ ISBN 0806119810
- ^ Carter, R. G., On the Border with Mackenzie, 1935, Washington, D.C.: Enyon Printing Co., p. 48
- ^ Commission, Texas Historical. "Fort Griffin History | Texas Historical Commission". www.thc.state.tx.us. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
- ^ "Blood Meridian Chapter 23". Litcharts. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- ^ Climate Summary for Fort Griffin
External links
- "Fort Griffin State Historic Site". Texas Historical Commission.
- "Fort Griffin". Red River Historian.
- "Fort Griffin/Clear Fork". Fort Tours. Fort Tour Systems, Inc.
- "Fort Griffin and the Prairie-Plains Frontier". Texas Beyond History. University of Texas at Austin.