Attention, Kids! I'm Major Dirt, a U.S. Army officer. Today we are going to travel way back in time to visit a real Army fort from the 1870s and a rip-roaring Texas town called The Flat! We'll meet cowboys, soldiers, buffalo hunters, Indian scouts, and a little girl named Sallie who grew up on the west Texas frontier. We'll check in at the Tonkawa Indian village, too.

For those of you nervous Nellies who just can't wait, go ahead and

Jump to Fort Griffin and The Flat

For the rest of you, stand at ease, and let me brief you on the situation there. Fort Griffin was built in 1867 on the north Texas frontier, not too far from where Abilene, Texas, sits today.

Back then, there were no towns on those wide-open prairies and the settlers were moving in fast, into the land of the Kiowa and Comanche Indians. The United States Army decided they needed another fort to protect those settlers. Times were pretty rough back then for all the people—settlers, soldiers, and Indians. And when buildings started going up in the town called The Flat, there was more trouble. Now mind you, there were respectable merchants and citizens there, but there were also outlaws, gamblers, floozies, and tired cowboys looking for a good time.

Right now I'm going to put on my reporter's hat, and grab my notebook and pen. That way we can interview some of these characters and see what was up on the north Texas frontier. We'll jump from place to place and time to time, from about 1865 to 1875. We don't want to miss any of the action!

Ready? Then let's click off this page and click onto the big scene! You can "travel" with your mouse all over the town, across the fort, and out to the Tonkawa village to meet some frontier people from the past! See if you can meet all 17 characters.

Follow the Frontier Reporter to Fort Griffin and The Flat!

Want to learn more? You can visit Fort Griffin and other historic frontier forts all across Texas. Some have special events and interpreters to bring your frontier experience to life.

Be sure to check out http://www.texasfortstrail.com/ and /forts/