The Junior Historian, Volume 7, Number 5, March 1947 Page: 10
28 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
TH'IE J UNIOR HISTORIAN
A STORY OF OLD FORT GRIFFIN
by BARBARIC A IFINCHIIR
Albany High SchoolF OR'I GRll('I I N was established on
July 2, 1867, by Brevet Colonel
Samuel I). Sturgis, acting under the
orders of Lieutenant General Charles
Griffin. h'l fort was first located near
the Clear Fork of the B;razos River. but
it had to he moved to the top of the hill
because of high water an(1 the danger
(:f flooding the fort. The first camp was
called Camp 'Wilson1. but when the move
was made to the present site. the post
was named Fort Griffin in honor of
Lieutenant General Griffin.
After the establishment of Fort
Griffin, the settlers in the area began to
leave their smaller fortifications and to
re-establish their homes near the fort
which offered much more protection
from the marauding Kiowas and
Comanches. ()Out of this civilian set-
tlement grew the once famous town 1of
Fort Griffin.
When the fort was started, twenty-
two carpenters, two engineers, two saw-
ers, and one superintendent were left
with Lieutenant II. B. Mellem to con-
struct permanent shelter for the pro-
tection of the store and supplies.
Some of the first buildings of Fort
Griffin were made from the native cot-
tonwood and post oak trees milled into
lumber at the sawmill set up on Mill
Creek a few miles south of the fort.
l'cmporarv buildings constructed in-
cluded three log- storehouses, a log hos-
pital. one log quarters for commanding
officers, three frame kitchens, two frame
quarters for staff officers, eighteen frame
buildings for company officers, two
buildings for first sergeants, and a
stable for the stock. The wood was too
green to use for building, and, as it
dried. it would warp and pull itself from
the walls of the buildings. The picket
huts that quartered the enlisted men
wre arranged in four rows. ten huts ina row, with four men living in each hut.
At tlhe end of each rowv of huts were
the cook-houses. In the latter '70's such
1;uild wings as the officers' quarters, com-
missary, bakery, and hospital were re-
placedl with stone. quarried in the hills
near )V.
The water supply for the entire fort
was hauled in barrels from the Clear
F ork of the Brazos River until a well
was dug a few years before the fort was
abandoned. The well was located on top
of the hill near the parade ground. It
was ten or twelve feet in diameter and
over one hundred feet deep. The well
was (dug by hand with the upper section
being walled with stone. It has always
had in abundant water supply, but
whether the source is seepage from tlhe
river or all underground stream from
the hills of the Callahan I)ivide has
never been determined.
Neair-by ranchers furnished the beef
supply by contract, and the soldiers
secured permission to hunt wild game,
which afforded variety to the meals.
Oftent the men brought in turkeys,
squirrels, birds, and pecans. Most of the
other supplies came by wagon trains
from Port \Worth. The weather and the
Indians governed their arrival. The
supply wagon trains had soldier escorts
who walked much of the time. The
scouts who preceded the supply wagons
had a serious and important dllty to
perform. I ad it not been for their
vigilance many supplies might have
been lost. When the wagon trains were
delayed, vegetables became scarce, but
the soldiers rarely complained because
they had a good supply of meat and
tread. There was always enough flour
for bread, which was baked in a separate
baker built of stone. The old bakery
still stands, and, looking at it, one can
picture the baker as he used the ovenO10
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Junior Historian, Volume 7, Number 5, March 1947, periodical, March 1947; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391498/m1/12/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.