In 1960 or ’61, we went to Fort Wingate for the 100-year celebration. At the time I was in the 62nd Army Band at Fort Bliss, Texas. An Indian by the name of Jeff King was there [Fort Wingate]. They said he was the last Indian scout alive and helped chase

In 1960 or ’61, we went to Fort Wingate for the 100-year celebration. At the time I was in the 62nd Army Band at Fort Bliss, Texas. An Indian by the name of Jeff King was there [Fort Wingate]. They said he was the last Indian scout alive and helped chase down Geronimo. He was well over 100 years old, and I can’t find anything on him.

Jesse Smelley
Cameron, Louisiana

I’ve searched high and low among books on the Geronimo campaign and found no mention of Jeff King. I have an idea he used his Apache name at the time rather than “Jeff King.” This makes him hard to track down. I called the Fort Apache Cultural Center and had them check rosters of the scouts, but he isn’t there.