Burial Grounds of the Prisoner Years
Between 1894 and 1913 the Chiricahua prisoners of war lived in villages around Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the people who died there were buried in cemeteries on or near the post. Today these cemeteries are among the most visible reminders of the imprisonment. They hold elders, adults and children, including Geronimo, who died in 1909.
This article describes the sites in general terms. Details such as exact locations, numbers of graves and who is buried where are best taken from the official sources of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe, the Mescalero Apache Tribe and the Fort Sill National Historic Landmark, since the facts can change and it is important to be accurate.
More Than One Cemetery
There is not a single “Apache cemetery” at Fort Sill. The best-known burial ground, often called the Apache Prisoners of War Cemetery, is on the post along Beef Creek, and it contains graves of Chiricahua who died during the Fort Sill years, including Geronimo and other leaders. Other burial places connected to the prisoner era existed, and some graves were later moved, including remains brought from Alabama, as the Army consolidated burials. Sources differ on the exact details, so this article does not give counts.
Graves from the earlier forts, in Florida and Alabama, are also part of the story. The people who died at Fort Marion, Fort Pickens and Mount Vernon Barracks were buried near where they died, and the burial grounds there are discussed in the articles on those places.
Geronimo’s Grave
Geronimo is buried at Fort Sill, and his grave is often the first thing visitors ask about. It is marked by a stone monument set in the cemetery. His grave has been a subject of many stories over the years, including unsupported claims that it was disturbed. Such stories should be treated with caution and should not be repeated as fact without good evidence. For the story of his life as a prisoner, see the separate article on his final decades.
It is also worth remembering that many other graves in the cemetery belong to people who were not famous, including children. The site is a family burial ground, not just a historic monument.
Customs Around Death
The Chiricahua had their own traditions around death, burial and mourning, and the prisoners in the East and at Fort Sill continued to follow them as far as conditions and the Army allowed. These customs are generally private. This site does not describe them in detail and does not speculate about them, which is in keeping with the restraint outsiders should show. For a general overview of the topic, see the discussion of Apache mourning customs.
What can be said is that the prisoners were buried in a time and place not of their choosing, far from the lands of their ancestors, and that this added to the burden of mourning. Graves at Fort Sill became places where later generations return.
Care, Access and Respect
Because the cemeteries are on a military installation, access is controlled by the Army, and visitors are expected to check current rules before going. Some visits are open to the public through the post’s official channels, and others are limited to families or require permission. Visitors should expect that:
- Photography may be limited or discouraged in some situations, much as with photography on tribal lands generally
- Objects such as stones, coins or offerings left at the graves should be treated as meaningful, not removed or moved
- The wishes of descendants take priority over those of tourists
Descendants, including those from the Fort Sill Apache Tribe and the Mescalero Apache Tribe, have long cared for these places in their own ways. Remembrance events and visits by families are matters for the people involved, and this independent site does not speak for them.
Why It Matters
The cemeteries are a physical record of the human cost of the imprisonment. They show that the confinement was not abstract: individuals lived and died there, and their families lived with the loss. For readers learning about this history, the graves are a reminder to approach it with seriousness.
They also link to broader questions about the care of Native burial places and the return of remains and cultural items, such as those covered under NAGPRA Apache repatriation. The cemeteries at Fort Sill are not museum collections, though, and they remain active places of remembrance. The Fort Sill Apache Tribe and the Mescalero Apache Tribe are the best sources for how these places are understood today, and the broader topic of how communities keep this history alive is taken up in the article on remembering the prisoner of war era.