Today, we did the Fort Sill historical walk, which took us around the old Fort Sill. The commanding general still lives in the same house that Gen Sherman, of Civil War fame, stayed in 1870. The Fort constructed by Buffalo Soldiers has been active since then. The original Fort Sill Square, with its parade field and cavalry barracks, is still in use. The Fort itself is now the US Army Artillery Center. The first Fort Sill has the original stone horse stalls and corrals that were used by the 1870 cavalry down the hill. In the early 1990s, I was a supply sergeant for a M109 Artillery Battery in Germany. All the Artillerymen would talk about Fort Sill because they were trained here. Artillery is nicknamed the King of Battle. The M109 is a motorized track vehicle that carries a 155mm howitzer. It is followed by a track ammunition carrier. It looks like a tank, but it's designed to fire from a stationary position. I have pulled the lanyard of this gun a couple of times, and it was a powerful feeling.
It has been the highlight of our trip out west so far. The Apache Chief Geronimo is buried here, and we visited his grave. We are camped in a Live Oak grove along Medicine Creek, about 2 miles from the grave and cemetery as the crow flies.
Fort Sill has a long history as a Frontier Fort. It also has an infamous history with its Indian School and its participation in the Indian Wars. After the last Indian Campaign of 1886, when Geronimo surrendered, he and his warriors with their families were kept prisoner here on Fort Sill. He died in 1909, and the remaining members of his band were pardoned and released in 1913.
On his deathbed, he stated he should never have surrendered, that they should have fought to the last man. The Indian graveyard is not in a developed area of the Fort, on the backside of the post golf course. It's surrounded by fields and woods near a dry creek bed.
It's a peaceful place with well-marked graves, and family members can still be buried here. We saw one headstone from 2022. As we walk through the graveyard, we let our dog Abbey run among the graves since we're the only ones there. I'm sure the ghosts of the warriors and their family members were happy to see a friendly dog.
