The scarcity of materials, shortage of funds, and daily demands of military duty allowed for only six of the more than 90 buildings of the fort to be built completely of stone.

[3]: 30 The fort served as a starting point for many expeditions headed westward, and for a time, it had a substantial settled community that built up around it, catering to passing wagon trains and military personnel who sought saloons for entertainment during their free or off-duty hours.

During that time, several notable characters and gunfighters of the Old West drifted through, including Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Dave Rudabaugh, Pat Garrett known for killing outlaw William Bonney (better known as "Billy the Kid") and the brothers Bat and Jim Masterson.

[3]: 79 Following the Red River War of 1874, the Comanche and Kiowa threat on the prairies waned, and rapid settlement by ranchers and farmer put Fort Griffin squarely in the settled area.

[2][3]: 197 The opening scenes of the 1957 movie Gunfight at the O.K.Corral, in which Doc Holliday kills a man in a saloon fight while Wyatt Earp looks on, take place in Fort Griffin.

During the last two weekends of June, the Fort Griffin Fandangle, a Western musical production, is presented by residents of Albany in the Prairie Theater.