Geronimo's Cadillac?

Geronimo and his associates at the 101 Ranch taking a drive in a 1905 Locomobile Model C.

The following letter is from the American History magazine site:

http://www.thehistorynet.com/ah/letters_08_04/

More on Geronimo
The photograph of Geronimo driving a car on the last page of the April 2004 issue of American History was actually taken on June 11, 1905, at the Miller brothers' 101 Ranch, located southwest of Ponca City, Okla. The car is a Locomobile, and the Indian in full headdress to Geronimo's left is Edward Le Clair Sr., a Ponca Indian. Geronimo so admired Le Clair's beaded vest that it was presented to him later in the day. When Geronimo died in 1909, he was buied in the vest. The photograph was taken during a special 101 Ranch show for the U.S. press. Thousands of newspaper editors and reporters flocked to it.

I know of three other photographs of Geronimo from that day. One shows him with several mounted Army soldiers. At the time, Geronimo was still imprisoned at Fort Sill, Okla., and guards accompanied him to the show. Another photo shows him standing beside a dead buffalo, which he had supposedly just killed, and the picture shows a number of arrows sticking out of the animal's side. The Millers advertised the event as the last buffalo Geronimo killed. Actually it was the first, as buffalo rarely ranged into the Southwest where he was born and lived -- and in reality he didn't kill this one either. Ranch hands had herded it up into bow-and-arrow range, and, as the arrows were not fatal, one of the cowboys finally shot it in the head with his gun. The third photo supposedly shows Geronimo skinning the dead buffalo.

Ivan L. Pfalser
Caney, Kan.

 

The following photos of a 1904 Locomobile Model C are from the site:

http://www.trombinoscar.com/ancetres/locomobile0401.html