Geronimo’s Change in Life

The Apache finds new opportunities after surrendering.

September 4, 1886. Apache leader Geronimo surrenders to General Nelson Miles and is taken into custody at Skeleton Canyon, AZ Territory. It’s the end of the Apache Wars. Most of the Apache were sent to Florida, then Alabama. Hundreds died of disease. In 1894, they are shipped to Fort Sill, Indian Territory. Geronimo remains a prisoner of war for the rest of his life, dying in 1909. He also becomes a tourist attraction, touring with Wild West shows and participating in the President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1905 inaugural parade. When he died, Geronimo reportedly leaves a fairly sizable estate.