Geronimo
Born: June 16, 1829, Gila River, Mexico (now Arizona)
Died: February 17, 1909 (aged 79), Fort Sill, Oklahoma
 Geronimo (Chiricahua: Goyaałé,
"one who yawns"; often spelled Goyathlay or Goyahkla in
English) was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache
who fought against Mexico and the United States and their expansion into
Apache tribal lands for several decades.
What do you know about Geronimo? Try this Old West Legends Quick Quiz.
1. What band of Apaches did Goyathlay (Geronimo) belong too?
- Bedonkohe
- White Mountain
- Chihuahua
2. On March 5, 1851, a company of 400 Mexican soldiers from Sonora
led by Colonel José María Carrasco attacked Geronimo's camp outside
Janos while the men were in town trading. Among those killed were
Geronimo's wife, Alope, his children, and his mother. His chief sent him
after the Mexican soldiers. Who was his chief?
- Mangas Coloradas
- Janos
- Chee-hash-kish
3. While Geronimo said he was never a chief, he was a military
leader. As a Chiricahua Apache, what was Geronimo?
- Chief of Staff
- Medicine Man
- Warrior
4. It was the Mexicans who named him Geronimo. This appellation
stemmed from a battle in which he repeatedly attacked Mexican soldiers
with a knife, ignoring a deadly hail of bullets, in reference to the
Mexicans' plea to Saint Jerome ("Jeronimo!").
5. Though outnumbered, Geronimo fought against both Mexican and
United States troops and became famous for his daring exploits and
numerous escapes from capture from 1858 to 1886. Later in 1861, Mangas
Coloradas and Cochise, his son-in-law, struck an alliance, agreeing to
drive all Anglo-Americans out of Apache territory. They were joined in
their effort by the chief Juh and the famous warrior Geronimo.
6. After two decades of guerrilla warfare, Cochise, one of the
leaders of the Chiricaua band, chose to make peace and agreed to
relocate to a reservation in the Chiricahua Mountains. Not long
afterward, Cochise died. What year did Cochise die?
7. In a change of policy, the U.S. government decided to move the
Chiricahuas to the San Carlos reservation. Half of them complied and the
other half, led by Geronimo, escaped to Mexico. The U.S. captured
Geronimo and brought him to the San Carlos reservation. He stayed there
until September 1881, when a gathering of soldiers around the
reservation caused him to fear that he would be imprisoned for his past
deeds. How many Apaches left with him?
8. In 1886, General Nelson A. Miles selected Captain Henry Lawton, in
command of B Troop, 4th Cavalry, at Ft. Huachuca to lead the expedition
that captured Geronimo and his small band. They evaded 5,000 U.S. troops
(a quarter of the army at the time) and many units of the Mexican army
for a year. How many men, women, and children were in Geronimo's band?
9. Geronimo and other warriors were sent as prisoners to Fort
Pickens, Florida, and his family was sent to Fort Marion. They were
reunited in May 1887. What year did Geronimo and his family come to live
in Fort Sill, Oklahoma?
10. In his old age, Geronimo became a celebrity. He appeared at
fairs, including the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, and sold souvenirs
and photographs of himself. However, he was not allowed to return to the
land of his birth. He also rode in President Theodore Roosevelt's 1905
inaugural parade.
11. One night, in a drunken stupor, he fell asleep and out of his
wagon in the middle of a road near Lawton, Oklahoma, during a rainstorm.
Catching pneumonia, he died within a day.
Where is Geronimo buried?
- Beef Creek Apache Cemetery, Lawton, Oklahoma
- Ashes scattered at sea off Coney Island, NY
- General Grant National Memorial, Manhattan, New York
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License.
Beef
Creek Apache Cemetery, Lawton, Oklahoma