Fort Griffin (3)

 (1867–1881) - A U.S. Army post established 31 Jul 1867 by Ltc. Samuel D. Sturgis, 6th U.S. Cavalry, and first named Camp Wilson (1) for 2nd Lt. Henry Hamilton Wilson. The post was renamed Fort Griffin in 1868 after Colonel Charles Griffin, 35th U.S. Infantry, Commander of the Department of Texas. Abandoned 31 May 1881.

History
In addition to providing protection for the local area, Fort Griffin served as a jumping-off point for settlers heading west and as supply location for buffalo hunters. The town of Fort Griffin grew up at the base of the post and was known as a very rough and tumble place. As the Indian wars of the 1870s came to a close and the railroad bypassed Fort Griffin, the post was no longer necessary and it was closed on 31 May 1881.

Current Status
The site is now Fort Griffin State Historical Park. The partially restored ruins of Fort Griffin are on a bluff overlooking the old townsite of Fort Griffin and the Clear Fork of the Brazos River Valley. The ruins include a hand-dug well, a mess hall, barracks, a library, a rock chimney, a store, an administration building, a cistern, a hospital, a powder magazine, the foundation of the officers' quarters, the first sergeant's quarters, a restored bakery, and replicas of enlisted men's huts.

Sources:
 * , page 151.
 * , page 160.

Links: 
 * North American Forts - Fort Griffin
 * Fort Griffin State Park
 * Fort Griffin Records
 * Fort Griffin

Publications:
 * Cashion, Ty, A Texas Frontier: The Clear Fork Country and Fort Griffin, 1849-1887, University of Oklahoma Press, 1997, ISBN-10: 0806128550, ISBN-13: 978-0806128559
 * Rister, Carl Coke, Fort Griffin on the Texas Frontier, Univ of Oklahoma Press, 1986, ISBN-10: 0806119810, ISBN-13: 978-0806119816