Contents

Just after the American Civil War settlers began to make their way west for various reasons. The Shackelford County area of west Texas offered many miles of grassland for grazing cattle. Fort Griffin was established in 1867 to protect settlers from the Comanche and Kiowa. The Fort was abandoned in 1881 following the removal of said Indian nations from the area. In addition to its official purpose, Ft. Griffin also served as escort to wagon trains, offered protection to buffalo hunters and ranchers, surveyed and mapped the wilderness, strung telegraph lines, and gave law and order to the town of Ft. Griffin.

Before law and order took hold in the town of Ft. Griffin, it was considered one of the wildest of the wild west towns. The residents of Ft. Griffin saw legends such as Bat Masterson, Pat Garrett, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday, John Sleman, Lottie Deno, Big Nose Kate, and Hurricane Bill. The town was also the headquarters for the buffalo trade in the area. The citizenry of the time envisioned more than just a collection of merchants, soldiers, and outlaws. Residents of Ft. Griffin soon built a school, a Masonic Lodge, organized a county government, and began to chase out the outlaws. They even hosted the second annual meeting of the North Texas Cattle Raisers Association. In the end, however, the town was abandoned shortly after the Fort was closed in 1881.

Ft. Griffin records contain official and legal records, printed material and maps relating to the town and military outpost of Fort Griffin, Texas 1867-1881. The series is arranged by date with the exception of the Biographical Information and undated material, which are arranged alphabetically. Biographical Information may also contain correspondence. The remaining subseries, Military Post of Ft. Griffin, Town of Ft. Griffin, and Ft. Griffin State Park, are arranged by date.

Albany, Texas
American Civil War
Ft. Griffin
Ft. Griffin State Park

The following contains a detailed inventory of the materials in the collection.

Box/Folder

Official and Legal Records
4/1	Federal Government Records 1877-1932

Printed Material

1/1 1/2 1/2 1/3 1/4 1/5 1/6 1/7 1/8 1/9 1/10 1/11 1/12

The Border Command, Col. Martin L. Crimmins, undated Heron abstracts, undated Miscellaneous notes, undated Noted Frontier Towns, undated "Early Ft. Griffin called toughest of west Texas towns," Lynn County News, 1932 Assorted newspaper articles about Ft. Griffin, 1936 - 1969, undated Ft. Griffin on the Texas Frontier, Book Review, W.G. Webb, Jr., 1956 Fort Griffin, Jim Koethe, 1960 A year at Ft. Griffin on the Texas Frontier, Vernon Lynch, 10/1965 Custer's last battle, information on cavalry of the period, 8/1966 "Picturesque Old Ft. Griffin," True West, 10/1972 "Outpost on the Clear Fort," Texas Highways, 10/1983 Ft. Griffin Bell Dedication, Nancy Smith Elementary, 1999

Biographical Information
2/1 2/2 2/3 2/4 2/5 2/6 2/7 2/8 2/9 2/10 2/11 2/12 2/13 2/14 2/15 2/16 2/17 2/18 2/19 2/20 2/21 2/22 2/23 2/24 2/25 2/26 2/27 2/28		Bad Nell, 1955 Big Nose Kate, 2002 Bragg, J.J., 1978 Brock, James L., 1941 - 1956 Brownlee, Andrew, 1875 Champlin, W.B., 1942 -1944 Dasch, John Christopher, 1968 Deno, Lottie, 1950 -1971 (inventory of contents in folder) Dillard, Henry, 1936 Grahame, James W., undated Holiday, John H. (Doc), 1945 - 1993 Howarth, Jacob aka Howard, 1935 -1949 Lee, Robert E., 1857 Mackenzie, Col. Ranald, 1967 - 1990 Martin, Bill and Minnie (Hurricane)1991 - 1995 Martin, Herbert C., 1982 Prestidge, J.H., undated Robuck, E.A., 1945; undated Sands, Frank, 1956 Shell, Dr. C.C., undated Shock, Floyd, 1930 Smith, H.C. (Hank), 1935 -1976 Soule, George A., undated Tasker, George, 1877 Vines, Ellen Winnie, 1963 Walsh -Tierney, Mary, 1950 Wilhelm, George, 1942 - 1945 Wilson, William, 1881

Maps
1/13 1/14 1/15 1/16 1/17	Buck Barry's Map of Texas, handwritten, undated Ft. Griffin Area, Aerial Map, undated Ft. Griffin Town, Etta Soule, undated Ft. Griffin Military maps, W.B. Champlin, 1941, undated Clear Fork Area, Frank and Ola Stribling, 1944

Subseries: Military Post of Ft. Griffin

Printed Material
1/18 3/4 1/19 1/20 1/21 1/22 1/23 3/1 3/2	Ft. Griffin military maps, Jacob Howarth, undated Information on military buildings, undated Official army register, 1856 Troops stationed at Ft. Griffin 1867 - 1881, undated Map of Chief Quartermaster Office, Department of Texas, 1871 Indian Records, 1910 - 1989; undated Indian Incidents, 1937 - 1993; undated Indian Records, 1956 - 1988; undated Ft. Griffin military report 1870 -1874, 1986

Subseries: Town of Ft. Griffin

Printed Material
3/3 3/4 3/5 3/6 3/7 3/8 3/9 3/10 2/19	Ft. Griffin Masonic Lodge, undated Information on town buildings, undated Neighborhood and Cemetery maps, undated Notes on early day clothing, undated Song Lyrics, Phillippi's Ball, undated Flood, 6/20/18 79 Buffalo hunting industry, 1936 - 1989; undated Information on businesses and houses buildings, 1943 -1993; undated Abstracts of Title, 1956

Subseries: Ft. Griffin State Park

Printed Material
3/11 3/12 3/13 3/14 3/15 3/16	Ft. Griffin, 1936 - 1971 Special Re-evaluation Report, William E. Brown, 1965 A proposal for the restoration of Ft.Griffin, 1966 Texas Parks & Wildlife, 12/1966 Archaeological investigation, 1969 Archaeological investigation, 1975

Assorted Records

Printed Material
3/17 3/18	Maps of Lambshead, undated "Frontier Army Wife (Not Ft. Griffin)," Shamrock , 1959