The last Apache standing…
Fort Sill in Oaklahoma,1960. The local newspaper reports the death of a man in a car crash, they say he was one hundred years old and his name was Jason Betzinez. He was the last surviving member of Geronimo’s Apache Indians. Born into a band of Apaches in 1860, his father was killed when he was twelve and his mother twice kidnapped and taken into slavery. A cousin of Geronimo, Betzinez spent his formative years being hounded by either Mexican or U.S. troops or by Geronimo himself and taken on as an apprentice warrior.
It is said that he never fired a shot at anyone and in 1884 his band of Apaches were caught and moved to a reservation in which he lived next to Geronimo and learnt to farm the land. Geronimo never settled and soon fled with Betzinez and his family in tow. It wasn’t long before Betzinez was regretting his decision and returned to the reservation taking his family with him. He worked eighteen hours a day to the point where his health was suffering and he was given the chance to break free and join the army as an Indian scout.
In 1900 he spoke out against an Indian medicine man who combined all-night dances and alcohol as a means of curing TB, the ‘cure’ killed more Indians than the disease and we begin to see the makings of a reformist American Indian who served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army for fourteen years. By 1914 he had turned his back on returning to life on the reservation, he had his own home which he built himself and a successful blacksmith business. The reservation life was not for Betzinez, he was determined to make a life for himself, free from charity and sympathy and he succeeded.
In 1907 he had met a missionary teacher, Anna Heersma from the Dutch Reformed Church. Too shy to reveal his feelings for her it would be twelve years before they eventually married and go on to spend forty-one years together. Aged ninety-nine he took his first flight to meet a publisher for his autobiography, ‘I Fought With Geronimo’. His was a life of true hardship, he pushed himself to the limit all of his life and believed in the role of being the provider. He, his mother and sister rode alongside Geronimo and his band but Betzinez knew Geronimo’s cause was a lost one and his enduring legacy will be of how he understood the narrative, seized the moment and forged a life for himself in a lesson for all of us.
That lesson being the point of this post, Betzinez’s life, whilst not as colourful as his cousin, Geronimo, is worthy of remembrance and here at Retro Culturati we feel duty-bound to champion the forgotten man and woman whose contribution to history has faded in the memory, a legacy worthy of remembrance and discussion. Jason Betzinez’ like has gone forever, a decent man who suffered for his skin colour but never gave up, who placed his faith and trust in the mantra that is hard work sets you free. Despite witnessing the land grabbing which robbed Indians of millions of acres of their land he remained staunchly independent, proud of his heritage but in the knowledge the system could not be beaten. Geronimo believed it could, he was wrong and America’s treatment of its native American Indians will forever blight its history.
Anna died in 1960, shortly before Jason was killed. One cannot help but speculate if the accident was meant or not. They are buried side by side in Beef Creek Cemetery in the adjoining plot to Geronimo.
Categories: Retro Heaven
retroculturati 
I lived in Lawton OK until I was 13. I can still remember Jason Betzinez coming to Garfield Elementary school and talking to us!
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Kim, Welcome to the site and thank you for sharing what must be a wonderful memory. Many thanks!
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Anna and Jason Betzinez were my Great Aunt and Uncle. My father had many long talks with them when I was a child. Thank you very much for keeping their memories a life with your research and articles that can be shared with others.
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Nancy,
Thank you so much for visiting the site and leaving this comment. How wonderful!!You are very welcome, I think it is so important to remember great people and the contribution they have made. History has to be preserved. Thank you once again.
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Nancy. What is your maiden name?
I never met Jason or Anna but my
Step-grandmother Grace Heersma Nomes spoke of her sister in Ok.
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I just read Jasons autobiography I fought with Geronimo…excellent read…Jason was a very honest intellectual man and his viewpoints are incredible as is his honesty about his tribe and relationships…I wish his faith had caught on with the rest of the tribe…as it seems does he…incredible story. I like that he is very fair to the soldiers and General Crook whom were actually pretty progressive for the day. It seems his time at Carlisle School was the reason they started the school in the first place…wonderful read.
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My husband grew up in Apache, Oklahoma in the 40’s and 50’s. Jason and his wife Anna lived right outside Apache and my husband saw him many times when Jason would drive his car into town. According to my husband, Jason loved to play pool and snooker. My husband being under age could not enter the pool hall but would stand at the window to see if he could see how the game was played. Jason must have had a sense of humor, because he always called my husband’s father”Old gray horse.” Jason kidded him about seeing him one day in a horse drawn wagon with a lady that wasn’t his wife. The wagon was being pulled by a gray horse, hence the name. My husband has said so often he never realized growing up that many times he was in the presence of one of history’s great warriors, but has always cherished the memories he has of him and feels so fortunate for the times he was able to even see him and speak with him.
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Eleanor,
Welcome to the site and what a fascinating story. A really wonderful snippet of history there and so important that this kind of story is preserved to help remember figures such as Jason and help us better understand the person. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us. Kind regards to you.
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My Mom’s family (Pfeiffer’s) lived about a mile or so south of Jason and Anna’s house. My Grandfather was also a blacksmith. When Jason worked at Ft. Sill, if he was busy, he would have my Grandfather help him.
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How wonderful that this thread of sharing our stores continue about this fascinating man, Jason Betzinez. I think he would be very pleased.
-Summer R., formerly of Lawton, OK
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Hi Summer, I completely agree with you. It’s a wonderful way to keep his memory alive. Many thanks
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Hello Paul, thank you for your comment. It’s so nice to build up a picture of his life in this way. I really appreciate it
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My family and I met Jason in 1958/59. My parents owned a small cafe where Jason would visit often when he was in Lawton. My favorite story Jason told my brother, Oscar, and I was about Geronimo. At that time Jason sported a large white shock of hair that stood straight up in the very front of his hair and as he would laugh with total delight it would bounce as if it were laughing as well. Jason explained to us that he was an excellent horseman, but Geronimo was a terrible horseman and was always falling off his horse…then Jason with a big grin would let out a beautiful laugh. I have painted my entire life and I painted a portrait of Jason at that time which sold to a local woman. I was young and never thought to make note of where the portrait was going, sad that I’ve lost the connection. I would like to believe one day the portrait will make its way to Fort Sill, OK.
Jeannie Pickering 2018
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Jeannie, Welcome to the site and thank you very much for such a lovely comment. It is wonderful to read snippets of information about Jason and I hope your picture is in the right place. Thank you once again and kind regards.
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John, welcome to the site and thank you for sharing your memories with us. That must be a wonderful book to have and thank you for your contribution here to help preserve Jason’s memory.
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Thank you. Pls note that my comments appear twice and you should remove the first one which unfortunately contained misspelling in the very first sentence. If this unfortunate error is not important, then you would want to delete my second corrrcted spelling entry. John
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Jason Betzinez wife, Anna Heersma, was the sister of my great-grandfathers wife (who my father and aunt knew as Grandma Nomes). And my dad and aunt always knew and talked about Jason, Geronimo’s cousin. What a story.
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Tim, welcome to the site and many thanks for sharing your connection, what a story indeed!
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My grandparent’s lived down the highway from Jason and Anna. My grandfather was also a blacksmith as was Jason. My grandfather use to help Jason at Fort Sill in his blacksmith job when he was busy.
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Hi Paul, welcome to the site and thank you for a great contribution! Much appreciated
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