Located in Shackelford County, Texas, Fort Griffin is a ghost town. It sits roughly 23 km (14 mi) NNE of Albany. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Fort Griffin, now a Texas state historic site as Fort Griffin State Historic Site, was a US Cavalry fort established 31 July 1867 by four companies of the Sixth Cavalry, U.S. Army, under the command of Lt. Col. S. D. Sturgis, in the western part of North Texas, specifically northwestern Shackelford County, to give settlers protection from early Comanche and Kiowa raids. Originally called Camp Wilson after Henry Hamilton Wilson, a recently deceased lieutenant and son of Republican senator and later vice president Henry Wilson, it was later named for Charles Griffin, a former Civil War Union general who had commanded, as de facto military governor, the Department of Texas during the early years of Reconstruction.From the Wikipedia article “Fort Griffin”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fort Griffin the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:42 AM | 90° E | 7:49 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:30 AM | 61° ENE | 8:49 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:37 AM | 118° ESE | 5:35 PM | 242° WSW | 34° | 9h 59m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:14 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 13m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:21 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:10 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:42 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 6:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:57 PM | 13h 51m |
| June | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 19m |
| July | 6:12 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 07m |
| August | 6:35 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 23m |
| September | 6:57 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:54 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 7:17 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 28m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 00m |
Local time (America/Chicago), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Fort Griffin, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 5:06 AM – 5:56 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:18 AM – 6:18 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:14 AM – 5:34 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 12:15 AM – 4:55 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:30 PM – 4:40 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:26 PM – 3:16 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 1:14 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 9:08 PM – 11:08 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:27 PM – 9:17 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.77 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (51%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 83 | 90 | 93 | 104 | 110 | 109 | 110 | 111 | 105 | 100 | 90 | 82 |
| Low °F | 15 | 8 | 16 | 29 | 37 | 57 | 63 | 62 | 48 | 24 | 19 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.2 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this ghost town
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
FAQ
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Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.