Tucked away in Shackelford County near the town of Albany, Texas, Fort Griffin stands as one of Texas’ most fascinating frontier landmarks. Visitors can wander around the ruins of the old military post, which nearly 160 years ago, this was one of the busiest—and wildest—places in the American West.
On July 31, 1867, Lt. Col. Samuel Sturgis and four companies of the 6th U.S. Cavalry established a military post overlooking a bend in the Clear Fork of the Brazos River. Originally named Camp Wilson, the post was soon renamed Fort Griffin in honor of General Charles Griffin, commander of Texas’ Fifth Military District during Reconstruction.
The Army originally intended to construct the fort entirely of stone. However, limited building materials, scarce funding, and the urgent demands of protecting the Texas frontier meant that only six of the more than 90 buildings were completed in stone. Most of the structures consisted of rough log “picket huts,” tents, and simple frame buildings with earth-and-canvas roofs.
Fort Griffin eventually grew into a substantial military installation capable of housing nearly 1,000 soldiers. The post included officers’ quarters, barracks, administration building, hospital, bakery, guardhouse, powder magazine, storehouses, forage buildings, stables, laundry, and workshops.
Just outside the fort, the town of Fort Griffin quickly sprang to life. It soon earned a reputation as one of the wildest towns in the West. Soldiers mingled with buffalo hunters, cattle drovers, ranchers, gamblers, outlaws, and saloon girls. Visitors to its dance halls and saloons might have encountered legendary frontier figures such as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, John Larn, John Selman, “Big Nose” Kate Elder, and Lottie Deno, the famed “Poker Queen.”
In 1872, a military inspection declared Fort Griffin “unfit for human habitation.” Many of its hastily constructed buildings had been built from green lumber that warped, cracked, and offered little protection from the harsh Texas weather. Even so, the fort remained in service for another nine years.
Fort Griffin also became an important stop along the Great Western Cattle Trail. Between 1876 and 1885, thousands of Texas Longhorns were driven from South Texas through Fort Griffin on their way to Dodge City, Kansas. Today, visitors can still see direct descendants of those historic cattle at the Fort Griffin State Historic Site, home to the Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd. Through careful breeding and management, only cattle displaying the classic Longhorn characteristics are retained.
The prosperity of Fort Griffin was short-lived. As the great buffalo herds were wiped out during the 1870s, the hide trade collapsed, taking much of the local economy with it. The final blow came when the Army abandoned the fort in 1881, and the Texas Central Railroad chose to bypass Fort Griffin in favor of nearby Albany.
On May 21, 1881, the American flag was lowered over Fort Griffin for the last time.
Today, visitors can explore the remnants of this once-thriving frontier outpost at Fort Griffin State Historic Site. Designated both a State Archeological Landmark and a site on the National Register of Historic Places, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the days when soldiers, cattle drives, buffalo hunters, and frontier legends all crossed paths on the Texas plains.
Fun Fact
The opening scenes of the 1957 classic Gunfight at the O.K. Corral are set in Fort Griffin. The film begins with Doc Holliday killing a man during a saloon fight while Wyatt Earp looks on—adding yet another chapter to the enduring legend of this remarkable Texas frontier town.
