Hisorical marker located at the entrance to main street of Old Fort Griffin, Texas.
The town of Fort Griffin as the visitor first observes it in the distance.
This is main street in Fort Griffin looking towards the Clear Fork Crossing of the Brazos River.
Legend has it that sometime during the year of 1877 famous lawman Wyatt Earp travelled to Fort Griffin
while trailing train robber Dave Rudabaugh, who later rode with Billy the Kid. Supposedly Wyatt's old friend and Fort Griffin saloonkeeper John Shaunssy introduced Wyatt
to the famous gunslinging dentist and gambler Doc Holliday at this time. This is confirmed in later memoirs of Doc's girlfriend Big Nosed Kate.
Wyatt Earp in his later years told the San Francisco Examiner that his friend Doc Holliday stabbed and killed a local gambler named Ed Bailey while he was staying in Fort Griffin in 1878.
Apparently Doc had caught Bailey cheating at cards. This obviously remodeled building supposedly sets on what appears to be the original foundation of the saloon.
Researcher and Photographer Virginia Clark standing in front of Shaunssy's saloon.
This is believed to be one of Fort Griffin's original jails. It is even possible that Town Marshal John William Poe
may have placed a few folks in this jail to "sleep it off" on several occassions. John Poe would later gain fame as Lincoln County Sheriff and Poe
was also present at Pete Maxwell's house as Pat Garrett's deputy on the night that Billy the Kid was killed.
Modern day Deputy Sheriff and Webmaster Lucas Speer standing in front of the old Fort Griffin Jail.
Fort Griffin Blacksmith Shop.
This Masonic Lodge Hall was built in 1878. According to Sophie Poe in her excellent book "Buckboard Days" on p.268 her husband John Poe
"was strongly devoted to Masonry, having been made a Mason at Fort Griffin, Texas, the first initiate after founding of that lodge.
Side view of Lodge building.
Rear view of old Fort Griffin as seen looking from the Masonic Lodge.
This was taken from atop of the old iron bridge looking down at the Brazos River at what we believe to be the approximate location of the Clear Fork Crossing.
The Brazos River was in a moderate flooding stage when this photograph was taken. The river is usually much more shallow and clear in it's normal stage.
This old iron bridge has been closed off for approximately 7 years.
However visitors can still walk out onto it at your own risk to get a wonderful view of the Clear Fork Crossing.
This photograph of the town's main street was taken from the Brazos River side. According to State Park Officials
the town of Fort Griffin was much larger in it's frontier days with a population of approximately 3,000 citizens.
These main street buildings seen today are supposedly built on the original foundations and are all that remain of this legendary town.
Old Fort Griffin
