Fort Griffin was established in 1867 when Lieutenant Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis and companies of the 6th Cavalry built a post on a plateau above the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, intended to protect frontier settlers and travelers from Comanche and Kiowa raids and to support the westward expansion of ranching and trade. The garrison, which at times included Buffalo Soldier units, lived in barracks and support buildings on the bluff, including a mess hall, hospital, and munitions storage, while patrols and escort duty made up much of daily military routine. Below the fort grew the Flat, a rowdy civilian settlement of saloons, stores, and hide yards that served buffalo hunters, cattle drovers on the Western Trail, and soldiers, making the post and town together a notable crossroads of the Texas frontier. The Army abandoned the fort in 1881 as the frontier receded. Today Fort Griffin is preserved by the Texas Historical Commission as a state historic site, with a visitor center, interpretive exhibits, stabilized ruins, and reconstructed structures open to the public. The site is also home to the Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd, maintained on the grounds as a living link to the region's ranching history, and it offers camping, hiking, stargazing, and living-history events that bring both the fort's military past and the Flat's frontier-town history to life.