After the Civil War, several frontier forts in Texas (such as Belknap, Worth and Cooper) were abandoned, and new ones established further
west. One of these new forts was Fort Griffin, which opened in 1867. It was built on top of a hill in the beautiful, scrubby countryside of
Shackleford county to allow Texans to settle Comanche country. Along with Fort Richardson, which lay just to the northeast of Fort Griffin,
these forts marked the boundary line of 'civilization' from Indian Territory all the way to the Rio Grande at Fort Davis.
A rough and tumble town nicknamed the "Flat" appeared at the north side of Fort Griffin's hill, where saloons and bawdy houses competed
for the soldier's business. In the late 1870s, the Great Western Trail had a stop at the Flat before pushing further north towards Dodge City,
Kansas. The town's businessmen "cleaned up" its reputation in the 1880s, and campaigned to make the town of Fort Griffin the county seat.
However, Albany, with its proximity to the railroads and heavy local investment, became the seat instead.
The antebellum Camp Cooper, where the famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee commanded, lay just northwest of Fort Griffin in
southern Throckmorton County. Established in 1854, the camp served as the embarking point for many heated battles against the
Comanches but was also founded to protect the nearby Indian reservations (both of which were disbanded in 1856). In 1860, the Comanche
Chief Peta Nocona was killed along the Pease River in the Caprock, and his wife, Cynthia Ann Parker, was re-captured and brought back to
the camp. (Cynthia Ann was a pioneer's daughter who had been kidnapped during a raid on Parker's Fort in the 1836). Cynthia Ann's son
Quanah led the remaining Comanches during the Red River Wars.
After the Red River Wars of 1871-1874, the threat in the western frontier waned considerably, and Fort Griffin was closed. Today, the site is
a state historical park that is also home to the official state longhorn herd. The town of Fort Griffin (the "Flat") sits on private but accessible
land, and the owners are reconstructing it as a fun tourist attraction. The site of Camp Cooper lies on private land and from what I gather,
nothing visible remains.
The peacefulness of this park belies the busy and often brutal frontier era.
west. One of these new forts was Fort Griffin, which opened in 1867. It was built on top of a hill in the beautiful, scrubby countryside of
Shackleford county to allow Texans to settle Comanche country. Along with Fort Richardson, which lay just to the northeast of Fort Griffin,
these forts marked the boundary line of 'civilization' from Indian Territory all the way to the Rio Grande at Fort Davis.
A rough and tumble town nicknamed the "Flat" appeared at the north side of Fort Griffin's hill, where saloons and bawdy houses competed
for the soldier's business. In the late 1870s, the Great Western Trail had a stop at the Flat before pushing further north towards Dodge City,
Kansas. The town's businessmen "cleaned up" its reputation in the 1880s, and campaigned to make the town of Fort Griffin the county seat.
However, Albany, with its proximity to the railroads and heavy local investment, became the seat instead.
The antebellum Camp Cooper, where the famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee commanded, lay just northwest of Fort Griffin in
southern Throckmorton County. Established in 1854, the camp served as the embarking point for many heated battles against the
Comanches but was also founded to protect the nearby Indian reservations (both of which were disbanded in 1856). In 1860, the Comanche
Chief Peta Nocona was killed along the Pease River in the Caprock, and his wife, Cynthia Ann Parker, was re-captured and brought back to
the camp. (Cynthia Ann was a pioneer's daughter who had been kidnapped during a raid on Parker's Fort in the 1836). Cynthia Ann's son
Quanah led the remaining Comanches during the Red River Wars.
After the Red River Wars of 1871-1874, the threat in the western frontier waned considerably, and Fort Griffin was closed. Today, the site is
a state historical park that is also home to the official state longhorn herd. The town of Fort Griffin (the "Flat") sits on private but accessible
land, and the owners are reconstructing it as a fun tourist attraction. The site of Camp Cooper lies on private land and from what I gather,
nothing visible remains.
The peacefulness of this park belies the busy and often brutal frontier era.
| A view onto the colorful, scrubby north Texas prairie from the Administration building ruins. |
| Fort Griffin is now a state historic site that lies in extreme northeast Shackelford County, Texas. It is northwest of Fort Worth, north of US 180 and Interstate 20, along US 283. |
| The only evidence of Camp Cooper and the Comanche Indian Reservation is this marker, which reads: Site of the principal village of the Comanche Indian Reservation. Established in 1854 - Here Col. Robert E. Lee, C.S.A., then commanding Camp Cooper, held a Peace Treaty with Chief Cacumseh on April 11, 1854. The U.S. and Texas established a reservation for the Comanches, which Camp Cooper protected against the encroaching white settlers. A Comanche School was founded nearby. But the white settlers, weary of the Indian battles and leery of the Comanches, terrorized them until the band was forced into Indian Territory. |
| Fort Griffin Flat is now a ghost town, but offers some interesting relics, like this abandoned truss bridge. |
| I discovered this precarious footbridge over the Brazos River on my way to the Camp Cooper site. There were lots of beer bottles around the iron ropes, no doubt discarded by responsible young people. |
| Fort Griffin: Of Ghosttowns and Longhorns |
| The Flat's drunk tank, complete with grass covered roof, indicates that the town of Fort Griffin did succumb in favor of Albany. |
| Administration building after the boss blew his top. Ha! |
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| Questions or comments? E-mail me: robin@redriverhistorian.com |
| Ranching became a mainsta at Fort Griffin (the town) once the military fort closed and the cattle drives on the Great Western Trail diminished. This is the W O O brand (Fort Griffin Echo, 1881) |
| Another snippet from the Fort Griffin Echo in 1881 explains that there is NO WAY theirs was a dying town. |
| The bridge at Fort Griffin (Flat) had originally cross-hatching on its lower trusses. (Library of Congress, historic strucutre survey). |
| How to get there |