Apache leader Geronimo inducted into Texas Trail of Fame in Fort Worth Stockyards

Harriet Ramos

The Texas Trail of Fame officially welcomed nine new members into its ranks at the Fort Worth Stockyards on Saturday, including Apache leader Geronimo.

Some of the medicine man’s descendants, including great-grandson Robert Geronimo and Robert’s niece Hope Geronimo Gonzales, attended a ceremony and dinner for the inductees on Thursday, but had to return to their home in Mescalero, New Mexico, before Saturday’s presentation.

Robert Kie, a close friend of the Geronimo family and a member of the Mescalero Apache tribe, accepted the award on behalf of the family.

“It was awesome to see everything, how it all went down,” Kie told the Star-Telegram. “I know a lot of Native things don’t get recognition, but it’s nice to see that, you know, people still know Geronimo.”

Geronimo is usually portrayed in history books as a fierce warrior who led his people in resisting the United States government. Kie said he hopes the recognition will help people see Geronimo in a different light.

Geronimo was the last Native American warrior to formally surrender to the United States military. During the 23 years he spent as a prisoner of war, he participated in President Theodore Roosevelt’s inauguration parade in 1905. He died at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in 1909.

The Texas Trail of Fame was established in 1997 as a way to recognize individuals, organizations and even animals who’ve made significant contribution to Western heritage and culture.

Bronze plaques bearing the inductees’ names are embedded in the sidewalks and roads of the Fort Worth Stockyards. Some well-known inductees from previous years include Texas author Larry McMurtry and country music legend Willie Nelson.

Kristin Jaworski, the trail boss of the Fort Worth Herd, which was inducted into the Trail of Fame last year, said being chosen is a great honor.

“It just carries on as a legacy for millions of visitors from all over the world to see,” she said. “So they’re recognized as they’re walking through the Stockyards and then it allows people to recognize your story and ... it’s a way to preserve the impact that each one of these individuals has made in Texas in the Stockyards.”

Quentin McGown, a committee member for the event, said the goal is to tell the story of those who aren’t included in traditional history.

“When you have a chance to look through the list of the names and not just the names but the key issues and key milestones of the American West that they’re associated with, it’s pretty remarkable,” McGown said.

The eight other inductees for 2022 are:

  • Robert Duvall, the 91-year-old actor whose career included starring in the 1989 miniseries “Lonesome Dove.”

  • Sam Elliott, the actor who has played several lauded roles in Western movies and television, including “1883.”

  • Rebecca Tyler Lockhart, founder of the American Paint Horse Association, which is based in Fort Worth.

  • The Texas Rangers, Department of Public Safety, established 1823.

  • Jimmy Riscky, the Texas barbecue legend who grew his family’s store into the Riscky’s chain of restaurants. He died in 2020.

  • Mollie Taylor Stevenson Sr. and daughter Mollie Taylor Stevenson Jr., ranchers and preservationists who were the first living African-American women inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.

  • Buster Welch, the rancher and cutting horse trainer who is in the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. He died in June at age 94.

  • William “Bill” D. Wittliff, the late Texan storyteller and writer whose screenplays for “Lonesome Dove” earned him a Writers Guild of America Award in 1990.

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