For more than three decades I have lived within an hour’s drive of an historic frontier fort, and I never visited until about three weeks ago. Maybe it’s because we have our own historic fort ruins in Abilene (Fort Phantom) that diluted the lure, but the more likely culprit of this oversight is laziness on my part. I started writing a new series set in Albany, Texas, which is just a few miles from the where the fort was located, so when I took a research trip to Albany, I added Fort Griffin on for good measure.
I arrived early in the morning, and basically had the entire fort to myself–perfect conditions for an introverted researcher!
Fort Griffin was established on a high plateau overlooking the Clear Fork of the Brazos in 1867. Most of the structures were little more than temporary “picket” huts and rough frame buildings. Both materials and funds were scarce and the soldiers were so busy protecting area settlers that few improvements were made over the 14 years the fort was in use. Only six of the more than ninety structures in the garrison were built of stone.
The first stop on my tour was the mess hall. When in service, the fort had four mess halls for feeding the enlisted men. Meals generally consisted of beef, bread, and coffee. Not much variety. Sometimes soldiers would supplement their rations by fishing or hunting or by purchasing canned food in the sutler’s store.
Next came the barracks. Such a small space! Cots for four, a small hearth, a couple chairs and some clothes hooks. These huts were constructed from uncured cottonwood lumber and it often warped and split as it dried leaving the buildings drafty, leaky, and cold in the winter.
I moseyed past a few stone chimneys that testified to where the officers’ quarters had stood then made my way to the Sutler’s Store.
Sutlers were civilian merchants who sold goods not provided by the military. Originally, the sutler’s store for Fort Griffin consisted of six buildings, but only remnants of one still stands today. I decided to do a little shopping while there.
This was my favorite discovery! Not much remains other than a few foundation stones, but here once stood the Fort Griffin Library! They had a collection of over 100 titles. That makes my heart so happy. A much more productive way to pass the time than gambling or drinking. Records indicate that the building was also used occasionally as a chapel and a school.
Next came the administration building. This served as the fort’s headquarters and was one of the largest buildings. The commanding officer and his adjutant would have worked here.
The next stop on my tour was the bakery. This was one of the most substantial buildings on the post, and the one that is in the best shape. Bread was the main staple of the soldiers’ diets, and this bakery produced 800 loaves per day. That’s a lot of bread!
It’s a little hard to read, but they included the 1876 roster of enlisted men assigned to the post bakery. They also included the instructions for making the bread. I could almost smell it baking in the ovens.
The powder magazine was kept on the outskirts of the fort due the explosive nature of its contents. This is where they stored firearms, ammunition, and gunpowder.
As I made my final circle, I passed the place where the laundress would have worked then found myself in the company of some handsome longhorns. Only they were ranging free. No fence between me and those giant horns. Umm . . . I decided to give them a wide berth while still snapping a couple photos.
Fort Griffin was part of the Great Western Cattle Trail from San Antonio to Dodge City, Kansas. Thousands of Texas longhorns passed by the fort from 1876 to 1885. The herd that ranges at Fort Griffin honor that tradition.
The town of Fort Griffin that sprang up outside the military post was considered one of the five wildest towns of the west. Known as “The Flat,” it was filled with soldiers, buffalo hunters, drovers, gamblers, saloon girls, outlaws, merchants, and ranchers. Notorious characters such as Wyatt Earp, John H. “Doc” Holliday, “Bat” Masterson, John Larn, John Selman, “Big Nose” Kate Elder, or “The Poker Queen” Lottie Deno were all known to have walked those streets.
After the railroad came through nearby Albany in 1881, however, the fort closed and the wild town slowly dwindled away.
Do you have historic places near you that you’ve never visited?
Have you ever visited a historic fort?
