Geronimo

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Born in No-Doyohn Canyon, Mexico, in 1829, Geronimo was an Apache of the Bedonkohe Band who spent most of his life defending his people against adversaries.

The Apache were known for having a violent lifestyle, frequently participating in raids against their neighbors, and this further antagonized their conflict with the fledgling Mexican nation. Geronimo's antagonism against the Mexican government was bolstered by a personal tragedy when, in 1846, Mexican soldiers attacked his camp and murdered his mother, his wife, and their three children. Geronimo recruited a force of 200 Apaches to exact revenge against the Mexican government.

In 1848, with the conclusion of the Mexican-American War, the U.S. government took over territory from Mexico which included lands controlled by the Apache. Settlers and mineral speculators streamed into the area, and the Apache conducted numerous raids on these newcomers. Hoping to stave off further violence, Cochise, the Chiiricahua leader and Geronimo's father-in-law, made a deal with the U.S. government to secure a tract of land as an Apache reservation. However, when Cochise died, the government reneged on the agreement and forced the Apache to move northward and allow settlers onto their former lands. Geronimo retaliated and continued fighting until he was captured in 1877 and sent to San Carlos Apache reservation.

He remained on the reservation until 1881 when he escaped and formed a small band of warriors who continued to fight against the United States government for another five years before finally surrendering in 1886. Geronimo spent his final years as a prisoner-of-war in Florida, Alabama, and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. During that time, he published his autobiography in 1905. He died five years later, notably regretting his surrender to the United States. "I should never have surrendered," he said to his nephew before he died, "I should have fought until I was the last man alive."