The Apache leader who defied the US and Mexican armies for decades. A symbol of resistance.
Geronimo (Goyaałé) was a Bedonkohe Apache leader. For 30 years, he led raids and evaded capture across the Southwest. To the US government, he was a terrorist; to the Apaches, a freedom fighter defending his land and way of life.
1. His family was massacred
In 1858, Mexican soldiers raided his camp while the men were away. They killed his mother, his wife, and his three children. He burned his family's tipi and vowed eternal vengeance against the Mexicans. This tragedy fueled his lifetime of war.
2. "Geronimo!"
His name comes from Mexican soldiers. During battle, he would charge fearlessly through gunfire with a knife. The soldiers would scream to Saint Jerome ("Jeronimo!") for help. The name stuck.
3. He believed he was bulletproof
Geronimo had a vision where a spirit told him, "No gun can ever kill you. I will take the bullets from the guns of the Mexicans... and I will guide your arrows." He was wounded many times but never killed in battle.
4. 5000 soldiers for 35 men
In his final campaign in 1886, he was pursued by 5,000 U.S. soldiers (a quarter of the entire army) and 3,000 Mexican soldiers. Geronimo had only 35 men, 8 boys, and 101 women/children. He evaded them for 5 months.
5. He was a celebrity prisoner
After surrendering, he was a prisoner of war. However, he was paraded at events like the 1904 World's Fair. He sold buttons off his coat and signed autographs for money.
6. He rode in T. Roosevelt's inauguration
In 1905, he rode a horse in Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade. He plead with the President to let his people return to their Arizona homeland. Roosevelt refused.
7. He converted to Christianity
Late in life, he joined the Dutch Reformed Church, though he was eventually expelled for gambling.
8. Skydivers use his name
US paratroopers in WWII started the tradition of yelling "Geronimo!" when jumping out of planes, inspired by a movie about him.
9. His skull was stolen?
A persistent rumor claims that members of Yale's Skull and Bones society (including Prescott Bush) dug up Geronimo's grave in 1918 and stole his skull. The society denies it, but the Apaches have sued for its return.
10. He regretted surrendering
On his deathbed in 1909, he whispered, "I should have never surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive."