A Texas Frontier: The Clear Fork Country and Fort Griffin, 1849-1887 (Paperback)

by Ty Cashion (Author) "THE LAND BEYOND the Texas prairies had piqued the curiosity of Anglos long before they took an interest in occupying it..." (more)
Key Phrases: herder folk, cow hunters, bison slaughter, Clear Fork, Fort Griffin, Camp Cooper (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 366 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806128550
• ISBN-13: 978-0806128559
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #822,601 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pioneering Look At The Life And Death Of A Frontier Town, September 2, 2001

By	Edward M. Erdelac (Valley Village, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While researching the town of Griffin for my own work, I was referred to Dr. Cashion's book by the curators of the Old Jail Art Center in Albany, TX. Not only is this book indispensible in any serious study of the town of Griffin, which was a hub of the cattle and buffalo trade in the mid-1800's (through which many notable western personas passed, such as John Selman -the killer of John Wesley Hardin, and the fabled poker queen Lottie Deno), it is also a fascinating account of the birth, life and eventual demise of a classic frontier boom town. Dr. Cashion's book, while also covering the whole of the Clear Fork Country (and also happily, its overlooked minority inhabitants), could almost be considered a biography of Ft. Griffin, if we can imagine the town itself as a personality. The book gives a fine description of the natural land as it was seen by its first inhabitants (and first European explorers), and goes on to describe the various elements (political, natural, social etc.) which led to the settling of the area. Griffin is treated with special interest, from its early beginnings as a military outpost, to its heyday as an outfitting and entertainment capital for buffalo hunters and later cattle outfits, to its oil days, and on through to its eventual decline. There are a great many interesting photographs, both of the land, of old surveying maps, and of the people who populated the area, white, black, and Indian. Of particular interest is the chapter `Just Plain Old Folks,' which records many of the daily doings, trials, and tribulations of the everyday citizens. Dr. Cashion writes with equal and obvious passion of the rawboned hunters and cattlemen, the violent sometimes gunmen like John Larn and Selman, who used both sides of the law to their own ends, the retired buffalo soldiers, just trying to make their living somewhere between the harsh trials of the land and the distrust of their white neighbors, and the women and children who found themselves living and working in lonely cabins far from the company of friends and neighbors. For this alone the book is worth it, but also worthy are the revisionist-minded attempts of the author to debunk the many stereotypes and outright falsehoods about the area which have passed as history for so long. Griffin the town is no more the blood-soaked, bullet-riddled Sodom of the west that it has sometimes been portrayed as in fiction and some history (an old biography of Doc Holliday comes to mind, and is once referred to by the author) than is any other myriad of western towns which has ever romantically laid claim to that misnomer. The stories of its people however, are no less interesting, and Dr. Cashion's book proves that. Highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truth is stranger (and more interesting) than fiction, June 21, 2006

By	T. Ulmer "coach u" (Lohn, Tx, usa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Texas Frontier: The Clear Fork Country and Fort Griffin, 1849-1887 (Hardcover)

Forget the things you think you know about the history of this area. Dr. Cashion spent enormous amounts of time and effort tracking down the truth about events which have become part of Texas folklore--and has debunked a lot of what we "thought" we knew in the process. His books are as fascinating as his University lectures...hang on for a great read!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Had this prof. for a class..He's cool and his book is great, November 6, 1999

By	L. Troy Beals (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Texas Frontier: The Clear Fork Country and Fort Griffin, 1849-1887 (Hardcover)

Well written! enjoyable to read. I had Dr. Cashion at Sam Houston State this fall. His class is great, it was a great learning expirience. The book is wonderful. Although I missed a couple of points about the book but that's ok.