Geronimo in 1887, photo by Ben Wittck.

This image available for photographic prints and downloads HERE!

After decades of pursuing Geronimo and his fierce band of Chiricahua Apache, the U.S. Army finally captured him in 1886. He was first sent to Florida where he was imprisoned and sentenced to hard labor. Years later, he was released to a reservation in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Once the Indians had all been "tamed" and Americans no longer saw them as a threat, a fascination with the Old West and Native Americans began in earnest. Wild West Shows such as Buffalo Bill Cody's and Pawnee Bill's at the turn of the century drew hundreds of spectators as the productions staged re-creations of historic battles, "Indian Races," live buffalo, and the biggest attraction of all - famous Indians.  Some of these included Sitting Bull, Chief Joseph, Geronimo, and Rains in the Face (reported to be the man who killed Custer).

The Indians joined the shows for the opportunities to travel not only the United States, but also in Europe. Geronimo also participated in a number of other "attractions" that displayed him to curious onlookers, including the Omaha and Buffalo expositions and the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904.

These many events, coupled with Geronimo's fierce reputation made him one of the most photographed Native Americans of the time.