Geronimo

Born Goyaałé and widely known as Geronimo, he was a leader and medicine man of the Bedonkohe band of the Chiricahua Apache. He was born on June 16, 1829, and spent much of his life resisting Mexican and later United States military campaigns in the Southwest.

Geronimo became especially well known in the 1870s and 1880s during repeated escapes from reservation life and a long pursuit across Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico. In 1886, after years of conflict, he surrendered to U.S. forces and lived the rest of his life as a prisoner of war.

In captivity he became a widely recognized public figure, appearing at fairs and public events and helping tell his own story in Geronimo's Story of His Life. He died on February 17, 1909, leaving behind a legacy that remains central to the history of the Apache people and to the wider story of Native resistance in North America.