Page "Chiricahua" Paragraph 21

Eventually, the surviving Chiricahua prisoners were moved to the Fort Sill military reservation in Oklahoma.

In August 1912, by an act of the U. S. Congress, they were released from their prisoner of war status after they were thought to be no further threat.

Although promised land at Fort Sill, they met resistance from local non-Apache.

They were given the choice to remain at Fort Sill or to relocate to the Mescalero reservation near Ruidoso, New Mexico.

Two-thirds of the group, 183 people, elected to go to New Mexico, while 78 remained in Oklahoma.

Their descendants still reside in these places.

At the time, they were not permitted to return to Arizona because of hostility from the long wars.