geronimo.page

Though I spoke of Geronimo on my Kickingbird page, I admit I ran out of room and will finish this great man's story here.

It was in 1876 that the Us government decided to relocate the Chiricahua Apache tribe to an Indian reservation known as the San Carlos agency along the Gila river in Arizona. Unknowingly, the US government turned an otherwise peaceful Apache into a dreaded renengade called Geronimo. The San Carlos was described as "Hell's forty acres", a place Geronimo refused to be relocated to for very long. He led raiding parties throughout the Southwest and into Mexico. He led the Apache wars of 1876-1886 and gained undeniable notoriety. He was famous for surrendering when he became weary, but then revamping his raids when reservation life began to close in on him. Geronimo had no real bearing as an actual Chief, but he was the tough leader of a band of warriors who followed him due to his bravery and skills during warfare. In 1882, Geronimo was discovered making "tiswin", a native liquor. During a "tiswin" bru-ha-ha, Geronimo led 134 of his warriors into one of their bloddiest battles ever. Ten long months ensued with Geronimo terrorizing settlers in Arizona and Mexico. Although not deemed an actual Chief, Geronimo was certainly one of the bravest of all the leaders come and gone within his tribe.

Another great Chief was the leader of the Oglala Sioux, Chief Red Cloud. Red Cloud won 80 honors in battle and was often described as being "full of action like a tiger". Red Cloud began a relentless capaign when the US government ordered forts to built along the Bozeman Trail which passed through Indian hunting territory in the Montana and Dakota territories. In 1886, 80 army soldiers were wiped out by the Sioux, the battle was known as the Fetterman Massacre. The governement agreed to abandon the forts and Red Cloud joined other chiefs in signing a treaty of peace which would set aside the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory as a Sioux reservation, forever protected from white settlement. After Red Cloud had traveled east to speak at Cooper Union in New York City, he returned home to learn that several restless chiefs and warriors had come to look upon him as "tame", willing to settle for peace at any price.

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