Battle of Blanco Canyon talk set Saturday at park
History buffs have two chances to learn about a pivotal frontier military action Saturday, March 9 at Fort Griffin State Historic Site.
Todd Smith will speak at 10:00 a.m. and again at 2:00 p.m. on the Battle of Blanco Canyon. Smith is the chief investigator of the Blanco Canyon battlesite.
The battle, which took place on Oct. 10, 1871 in what is now Crosby County, was the major action in Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie’s initial campaign against the Comanche in West Texas. The expedition departed from Fort Griffin.
“It was one of the earliest campaigns and I think the first battle Mackenzie was involved in,” Fort Griffin assistant site manager EricAbercrombiesaid.“He basically deemed it a failure, having lost one soldier in the fight, but ultimately he learned a lot from it.”
“We’ve had Todd down here before to present on this particular subject, but he’s found a lot more artifacts since then,” Abercrombie said. “I’m really looking forward to what he has to say. He’s been able to map out the entire battlesite by what he’s found on the ground and then matching that with original reports on the battle that are on file at the Library of Congress.”
New Admission Prices Site entrance fees cover admission to the program. Fees have changed with adult admission now $5, up from $4. The student/ youth fee was lowered to $2, but the youth age range is now 6-17. Seniors (65 and up) remain at $3, with veterans, teachers and first responders now afforded the same rate. Fees for family groups ($8), children 5 and younger (free) and school groups ($1) remain the same.
Abercrombie said state park passes are not accepted at the site, which is administered by the Texas Historical Commission, not the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
“It’s kind of understandable because Parks and Wildlife has some historic sites under their care,” he said. “It creates some confusion when state parks are known as historic sites.”
Upcoming Programs Abercrombie said Fort Griffin is gearing up to present programs on a regular schedule.
“We just hired a new herd assistant who’ll do Longhorn programs,” he said. “We might have him do weekly programs like we’ve done in the past – the Horns and Tales and maybeamonthlyCampfire Tales.”
On Friday-Saturday, April 5-6, Fort Griffin will host a Milky Way photography workshopconducted by Lynn Cromer.
“It’s going to be a howto on both photography and editing,” Abercrombie said. “It’s more or less a camp for people to come out and spend two days learning.”
Admission to attend the workshop is $20 per person, which includes night sessions. Reservations arerequiredandmay be made by calling the site at 325-762-3592. Camping reservations are also available in the campground and the astronomy area near the visitor center.
Abercrombie said participants need to be prepared to stay up late.
“TheMilkyWayinApril usually rises later at night, well after midnight,” he said. “In June and July, the Milky Way’s up all night – as soon as it gets dark, you’re able to get pictures. The reason Lynn wants to do it in April is so people can learn it before the actual Milky Way season.”
For more information on the Battle of Blanco Canyon or the photography workshop, visit the Fort Griffin State Historic Site webpage at thc. texas.gov/historic-sites/ fort-griffin.
