Memorial to be built near Geronimo\'s birthplace

Memorial to be built near Geronimo\'s birthplace: "SILVER CITY, N.M. - A memorial is planned at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument to mark the birthplace of Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo. \'We put oral history and written history together to find the birthplace,\' said a descendant, Harlyn Geronimo. \'We made a trip up the canyon to the confluence of the middle and west forks of the Gila River, where history said my great-grandfather was born.\' He said the birthplace was told to him through family history from his mother and grandmother in the 1950s. Geronimo was born in 1829. \'It has always stayed with me that I wanted to come see the place,\' Harlyn Geronimo said. Geronimo and small band of followers surrendered to Gen. Nelson Miles on Sept. 4, 1886. The band was moved to Fort Sill, Okla., where Geronimo died in 1909. Fran Land, chairwoman of The Trail of the Mountain Spirits Byway Committee, said those backing the memorial want a bronze statue of Geronimo. A photo of Geronimo, from the National Archives, will be engraved on a plaque. The memorial is a joint effort of Geronimo\'s family, the U.S. Forest Service, The Trail of the Mountain Spirits Byway Committee and the Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce. The memorial\'s dedication set sometime in early October, which is Native American Month. "