Geronimo Monument IN OCTOBER 2004 ABOUT 120 PEOPLE GATHERED AT THE GILA CLIFF DWELLINGS NATIONAL MONUMENT Visitor Center to dedicate a monument to famous Chiricahua Apache Chief Geronimo, who was born in the area in 1829. The monument was a collaborative effort between the Forest Service, the Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway Committee, the Silver City/Grant County Chamber of Commerce, and Geronimo’s own great grandson, Harlyn Geronimo and Harlyn’s wife Karen of Mescalero. Harlyn got the idea for the monument while visiting the area in the spring of 2004. Chief Geronimo had told biographers that he was born near the headwaters of the Gila River, which is the area where the National Monument stands today. Geronimo died in Oklahoma in 1909, after unsuccessfully pleading with federal authorities to be allowed to return to his homeland to die.
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