Geronimo

Who Was Geronimo?

Geronimo was a prominent Apache leader who became synonymous with the resistance to white colonization in the American Southwest. His life was marked by relentless conflict, as he participated in raids across the border into Mexico, particularly in Sonora and Chihuahua. After decades of warfare, Geronimo finally surrendered to U.S. troops in 1886. Despite his celebrity status, he spent the last years of his life as a prisoner of war.

Early Years

Born in June 1829 in No-Doyohn Canyon, Mexico, Geronimo was a skilled hunter from an early age, with a legend surrounding his first kill. As a boy, he reportedly consumed the heart of his first hunt to ensure continued success. Geronimo belonged to the Bedonkohe band of the Chiricahua Apache tribe, a relatively small group of around 8,000 Apaches who faced constant pressure from neighboring tribes and the encroaching Mexican government. Despite the bounty on Apache scalps, including as much as $25 for a child’s scalp, Geronimo’s people continued their way of life, raiding neighboring tribes and territories.

At 17, Geronimo had already led several successful raids, but it was a personal tragedy that would transform him into a legendary figure. While he was away trading, Mexican soldiers attacked his camp, killing his mother, wife, and three children. When he returned to the site of the massacre, he set fire to his family’s belongings and entered the wilderness in mourning. It is said that during this time of grief, Geronimo was guided by a voice that promised him invulnerability, saying, “No gun will ever kill you. I will take the bullets from the guns of the Mexicans … and I will guide your arrows.”

Warrior Leader

Fueled by a newfound sense of power, Geronimo assembled a force of 200 men and began a decade-long campaign of vengeance against the Mexican soldiers responsible for his family’s deaths. This cycle of retribution continued until the 1850s, when U.S. settlers began encroaching on Apache lands after the Mexican-American War, particularly following the discovery of gold in the Southwest. The influx of settlers led to increased tensions and conflict between the Apaches and the United States.

While his father-in-law, the respected Apache chief Cochise, sought peace with the U.S. government and agreed to a reservation for his people, Geronimo’s desire for revenge led him to continue resisting. After Cochise’s death in 1874 and the government’s failure to honor its agreements, Geronimo once again led his people into battle.

After several years of conflict, Geronimo was captured in 1877 and placed on the San Carlos Apache reservation. However, the reservation life was an untenable situation for him, and he escaped in 1881.

The Last of the Indian Wars

Geronimo and a small band of followers managed to evade U.S. forces for five years, during which they engaged in skirmishes and raids that marked the end of the Indian Wars. His reputation grew, both among his own people, who saw him as a heroic defender of Native American culture, and among his adversaries, who came to view him as a dangerous and elusive foe. At one point, nearly a quarter of the U.S. Army — 5,000 troops — was mobilized to capture him.

In the summer of 1886, Geronimo finally surrendered, becoming the last of the Chiricahua Apache to do so. He and his people were subsequently moved between various prisons, including facilities in Florida, Alabama, and finally Fort Sill in Oklahoma, where they would remain for 27 years.

Final Years and Death

Despite his status as a prisoner of war, Geronimo became something of a celebrity in the years following his surrender. He was showcased at various events, including a visit to the 1904 World’s Fair and a meeting with President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905, where he unsuccessfully requested that his people be allowed to return to their homeland in Arizona. Geronimo’s autobiography was published in 1905, cementing his place in American history.

Geronimo died on February 17, 1909, after being thrown from his horse. Although he survived the night, his health rapidly deteriorated, and he passed away six days later, with his nephew at his side. On his deathbed, he famously lamented, “I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive.”

Geronimo’s legacy remains complex: a symbol of resistance and tenacity, a legendary figure who fought tirelessly to protect his people and their way of life until the very end.