32-586: Fort Griffin , now a Texas state historic site as Fort Griffin State Historic Site , was a US Cavalry fort established 31 July 1867 by four companies of the Sixth Cavalry, U.S. Army under the command of Lt. Col. S. D. Sturgis , in the western part of North Texas , specifically northwestern Shackelford County , to give settlers protection from early Comanche and Kiowa raids. Originally called Camp Wilson after Henry Hamilton Wilson,
64-656: A wagon corral and held off their adversaries, numbered at about 400, and a scout was dispatched to send word to Camp Supply. Soon after, the Sixth Cavalry was sent without rest and during a rainstorm to aid the wagon train. Upon their arrival on September 14, the attackers fled. The battle was the longest and one of the most publicized of the War. It is known as both the Battle of the Upper Washita River and
96-465: A greater position of influence than they had held previously. On 27 June 1874, Isa-tai'i and Comanche chief Quanah Parker led about 250 warriors in an attack on a small outpost of buffalo hunters in the Texas Panhandle called Adobe Walls . The encampment consisted of just a few buildings and was occupied by only 28 men and one woman. Though a few whites were killed in the opening moments of
128-833: A handful of larger expeditions due to manpower limitations. During the Civil War, the Regular Army withdrew almost completely, and Indian raids increased dramatically. Texas, as part of the Confederate States of America , lacked the military resources to fight both the Union and the tribes. After the war, the military began reasserting itself along the frontier. The Medicine Lodge Treaty , signed near present-day Medicine Lodge, Kansas, in 1867, called for two reservations to be set aside in Indian Territory, one for
160-1065: A recently deceased lieutenant and son of Republican senator and later vice president, Henry Wilson , it was later named for Charles Griffin , a former Civil War Union general who had commanded, as de facto military governor, the Department of Texas during the early years of Reconstruction . Other forts in the southwestern frontier fort system were Lancaster , Richardson , Concho , Belknap , Chadbourne , Stockton , Davis , Bliss , McKavett , Clark , McIntosh , Inge , and Phantom Hill in Texas, and Fort Sill in Oklahoma . There were "sub posts or intermediate stations" including Bothwick's Station on Salt Creek between Fort Richardson and Fort Belknap, Camp Wichita, near Buffalo Springs between Fort Richardson and Red River Station , and Mountain Pass between Fort Concho and Fort Griffin. The original intent
192-407: A steep canyon wall. The Native Americans were unprepared and did not have time to gather their horses or supplies before retreating. Sergeant John Charlton wrote of the battle: The warriors held their ground for a time, fighting desperately to cover the exit of their squaws and pack animals, but under the persistent fire of the troops, they soon began falling back. Only four Indians were killed, but
224-537: A time, it had a substantial settled community that built up around it, catering to passing wagon trains and military personnel who sought saloons for entertainment during their free or off-duty hours. It is northeast of Abilene (established after 1880), the seat of Taylor County . By 1870, a very rough town called "The flat" sprang up just north of Fort Griffin, which eventually became a stop-off point for cattle drives headed north to Dodge City, Kansas . During that time, several notable characters and gunfighters of
256-750: Is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Fort Griffin has a humid subtropical climate , Cfa on climate maps. List of Texas State Historic Sites Official historic sites of the state of Texas may be under the supervision of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) or the Texas Historical Commission (THC). Download coordinates as: Sites with multiple historic designations are colored according to their highest designation within
288-630: The Fourth Cavalry north from Fort Concho . The fourth column, consisting of the Sixth Cavalry and Fifth Infantry , was commanded by Colonel Nelson A. Miles and came south from Fort Dodge . The fifth column, the Eighth Cavalry commanded by Major William R. Price, a total of 225 officers and men, plus six Indian scouts and two guides originated from Fort Union , marched east via Fort Bascom in New Mexico. The plan called for
320-633: The Great Plains , the southern Plains tribes had evolved into a nomadic pattern of existence. Beginning in the 1830s, significant numbers of permanent settlements were established in what had previously been the territory of the various Indigenous peoples of the Americas . Attacks, raids, and counter-raids occurred frequently. Prior to the Civil War , the U.S. Army was only sporadically involved in these frontier conflicts, manning forts, but limited to
352-564: The Old West drifted through, including Wyatt Earp , Doc Holliday , Dave Rudabaugh , Pat Garrett known for killing outlaw William Bonney (better known as "Billy the Kid") and the brothers Bat and Jim Masterson . John Selman , who eventually became known for killing outlaw John Wesley Hardin , worked there and in surrounding counties as a deputy sheriff . General William Tecumseh Sherman and Inspector General Randolph B. Marcy visited
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#1732797832239384-784: The Battle of Lyman's Wagon Train. Early in September, Tonkawa and Black Seminole Scouts in advance of the Fourth Cavalry were ambushed by Comanche near the Staked Plains and escaped with their lives. The scouts relayed the Comanche position and alerted Col. Mackenzie of their whereabouts. The largest Army victory came when Mackenzie's scouts found a large village of Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne, including their horses and winter food supply, in upper Palo Duro Canyon. At dawn on September 28, Mackenzie's troops attacked down
416-575: The Comanche and Kiowa and one for the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho. According to the treaty, the government would provide the tribes with housing, agricultural training, and food and other supplies. In exchange, the Indians agreed to cease raiding and attacking settlements. Dozens of chiefs endorsed the treaty and some tribal members moved voluntarily to the reservations, but it was never officially ratified and several groups of Indians still on
448-510: The Indians usually tried to escape before the Army could force them to surrender. However, even a successful escape could be disastrously costly if horses, food, and equipment had to be left behind. By contrast, the Army and its Indian scouts had access to essentially limitless supplies and equipment, they frequently burned anything they captured from retreating Indians, and were capable of continuing operations indefinitely. The war continued throughout
480-558: The O.K.Corral , in which Doc Holliday kills a man in a saloon fight while Wyatt Earp looks on, take place in Fort Griffin. Fort Griffin is the setting of the final scene in Cormac McCarthy's 1985 novel Blood Meridian . It is portrayed as a center of prostitution and violence. On January 1, 2008, Fort Griffin was transferred from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to the Texas Historical Commission . During
512-528: The Plains did not attend the negotiations. In 1867, the U.S. Army began hunting buffalo to sabotage the food sources of the indigenous people inhabiting the plains. In 1870, a new technique for tanning buffalo hides became commercially available. In response, commercial hunters began systematically targeting buffalo for the first time. Once numbering in the tens of millions, the buffalo population plummeted. By 1878, they were all but extinct. The destruction of
544-660: The Second Battle of Adobe Walls, the majority were able to barricade themselves indoors and hold off the attack. Using large-caliber buffalo guns, the hunters could fire on the warriors from much greater range than the Indians had expected, and the attack failed. A second engagement involving the Kiowa took place in Texas. Warriors led by Lone Wolf attacked a patrol of Texas Rangers in July. The Lost Valley fight had light casualties on both sides, but it served to raise tensions along
576-605: The buffalo herds was a disaster for the Plains Indians, on and off the reservations. The entire nomadic way of life had been based around the animals. They were used for food, fuel, and construction materials. Without abundant buffalo, the southern Plains Indians had no means of self-support. By the winter of 1873–1874, the southern Plains Indians were in crisis. The reduction of the buffalo herds combined with increasing numbers of new settlers and more aggressive military patrols had put them in an unsustainable position. During
608-483: The constant loss of food and mounts. Even if it escaped immediate danger, an Indian band that found itself on foot and with limited options for food generally had no choice but to give up and head for the reservation. The Red River War officially ended in June 1875 when Quanah Parker and his band of Quahadi Comanche entered Fort Sill and surrendered; they were the last large roaming band of southwestern Indians. Combined with
640-481: The converging columns to maintain a continuous offensive until a decisive defeat had been inflicted on the Indians. As many as 20 engagements took place across the Texas Panhandle. The Army, consisting entirely of soldiers and scouts, sought to engage the Indians at any opportunity. The Indians, traveling with women, children, and elderly, mostly attempted to avoid them. When the two did encounter one another,
672-403: The effect was devastating. Mackenzie's men burned over 450 lodges and destroyed countless pounds of buffalo meat. They also took 1,400 horses, most of which were subsequently shot to prevent the Indians from recapturing them. Except for its unusually large size, the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon was typical of the war. Most encounters produced little to no casualties, but the Indians could not afford
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#1732797832239704-433: The engagements were small skirmishes with few casualties on either side. The war wound down over the last few months of 1874, as fewer and fewer Indian bands had the strength and supplies to remain in the field. Though the last significantly sized group did not surrender until mid-1875, the war marked the end of free-roaming Indian populations on the southern Great Plains. Prior to the arrival of English American settlers on
736-470: The extermination of the buffalo, the war left the Texas Panhandle permanently open to settlement by farmers and ranchers. It was the final military defeat of the once powerful Southern Plains tribes and brought an end to the Texas–Indian Wars . At the conclusion of the war, Philip Sheridan and William Tecumseh Sherman sought to have many of the captives executed through military tribunals. However,
768-526: The fall of 1874, but increasing numbers of Indians were forced to give up and head for Fort Sill to enter the reservation system. On September 9, 1874, Captain Wyllys Lyman led a wagon train full of rations to Camp Supply in the Indian Territory for Col. Nelson A. Miles' troops when they were confronted by a group of Comanches and Kiowas. In the ensuing battle, Lyman and 95 troops formed
800-653: The following hierarchy. Red River War The Red River War was a military campaign launched by the United States Army in 1874 to displace the Comanche , Kiowa , Southern Cheyenne , and Arapaho tribes from the Southern Plains , and forcibly relocate the tribes to reservations in Indian Territory . The war had several army columns crisscross the Texas Panhandle in an effort to locate, harass, and capture nomadic Native American bands. Most of
832-470: The fort on 15 May 1871. Following the Red River War of 1874, the Comanche and Kiowa threat on the prairies waned, and rapid settlement by ranchers and farmer put Fort Griffin squarely in the settled area. Capt. j.B. Irvine, commanding Company A, Twenty-Second Infantry lowered the flag for the last time and marched to Fort Clark on 31 May 1879. The opening scenes of the 1957 movie Gunfight at
864-544: The frontier and push the Army into an aggressive response. The explosion of violence took the government by surprise. The "peace policy" of the Grant administration was deemed a failure, and the Army was authorized to subdue the southern Plains tribes with whatever force necessary. At this time, roughly 1,800 Cheyennes, 2,000 Comanches, and 1,000 Kiowas remained at large. Combined, they mounted about 1,200 warriors. General Philip Sheridan ordered five army columns to converge on
896-597: The general area of the Texas Panhandle and specifically upon the upper tributaries of the Red River . The strategy was to deny the Indians any safe haven and attack them unceasingly until they went permanently to the reservations. Three of the five columns were under the command of Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie . The Tenth Cavalry , under Lieutenant Colonel John W. Davidson, came due west from Fort Sill . The Eleventh Infantry , under Lieutenant Colonel George P. Buell , moved northwest from Fort Griffin . Mackenzie himself led
928-540: The last two weekends of June, the Fort Griffin Fandangle , a Western musical production, is presented by residents of Albany in the Prairie Theater. The program, the content of which is changed each year, began in 1938 and is billed as "Texas' Oldest Outdoor Musical". In addition, a portion of the official state herd of Texas Longhorns is maintained at Fort Griffin. The climate in this area
960-738: The winter, a spiritual leader named Isatai'i emerged among the Quahadi Band of Comanches. Isa-tai claimed to have the power to render himself and others invulnerable to their enemies, including to bullets, and was able to rally an enormous number of Indians for large raids. Also, a shift occurred within the political structure of the Kiowa, bringing the war faction (influenced by the head chief Guipago , or Gui-pah-gho, sometimes known, by modern people, as Lone Wolf "the Elder" to prevent confusion with Mamay-dayte, later named Lone Wolf "the Younger" ) into
992-465: Was spent building and maintaining the fort, the majority of the time was spent defending and patrolling the frontier. Capt. Adna Chaffee fought the Comanche in a successful engagement in March 1868. Companies F, I, K, and L of the Sixth Cavalry were augmented when Lt. Col. S.B. Hayman's 17th Infantry arrived on 3 June 1868. The fort served as a starting point for many expeditions headed westward, and for
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1024-431: Was to build permanent stone buildings, but throughout its 14-year existence, the fort retained a temporary appearance. Log houses called “picket” huts, tents, and rough frame structures were constructed as temporary shelter. The scarcity of materials, shortage of funds, and daily demands of military duty allowed for only six of the more than 90 buildings of the fort to be built completely of stone. Although considerable time
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