- Goyahkla (“The One Who Yawns”) was born a Chiricahua Apache around 1829. The best theory of how he got his name Geronimo was that in a battle with Mexican soldiers, one of the Mexicans fearfully yelled out for St. Jerome.
- The Chiricahua lived by raiding. Originally, they raided other Indians for things like horses. But they were equal opportunity raiders and targeted Mexican and American ranches and settlements. Since they lived along the southwestern border of the U.S., they could care less about a border line. Both sides sent forces to end the raids. Geronimo had a price on his head.
- Things got personal after 1858. A force of Mexican soldiers attacked his camp when he was away. His mother, wife, and three kids were killed.
- In 1877, Indian agents brought him and his followers into San Carlos reservation. He was in chains. This was supposed to be the end of it. But after trying farming and finding it boring, he and other warriors escaped and returned to raiding. This would happen three times from 1878-1885.
- The last breakout occurred on May 17, 1885. He led 135 men, women, and children. The raiding drew the attention of 5,000 American soldiers and 3,000 Mexicans. He was in his 60’s and yet they sometimes traveled 70 miles a day. They would eat the horses that died of exhaustion. After 1,645 miles, they were brought to ground in Skeleton Canyon, Arizona by Gen. Nelson Miles. By this time, his people were tired of this life and willing to come in without a fight.
- Because of his past record, Geronimo was shipped to Florida, then Alabama, and finally Fort Sill in Oklahoma. There he lived by farming. He sold autographs and Indian items to tourists. He was occasionally let out to appear at fairs and wild west shows. He died around age 80.
- On March 4, 1905, he rode a horse in Teddy Roosevelt’s inaugural parade. He got a chance to speak to the President and begged to have his people returned to San Carlos. Roosevelt turned him down, citing fears of violence.
- Although he was a great warrior and led his men in battle, he was not a chief. He was a shaman who was believed to have supernatural powers like healing and avoiding bullets.
- One theory about why parachutists yell his name when they jump out of planes is before their first parachute drop, a unit of paratroopers watched a movie about Geronimo. In one scene in the movie, Geronimo jumps his horse over a ravine. The next day, one of the paratroopers decided it would be fun to yell out “Geronimo!” when he jumped. It caught on.
https://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-geronimo
https://www.historynet.com/geronimo
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Geronimo
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