Geronimo’s Bow & Arrows, 19th c.
Geronimo (1829 – 1909), attributed to self. Bow, quiver, and arrows. Chiricahua Apache, 19th century. (Bow) Wood, leather, paint, and cord; (quiver) leather, rawhide, wood, cord, and paint; (arrows) wood, stone, and feather. Frazier History Museum Collection.
On September 4, 1886, Geronimo, the famous Chiricahua Apache warrior, surrendered to the United States Army for the third and final time, this time to General Nelson A. Miles at Skeleton Canyon in Arizona Territory. According to a tradition dating to the beginning of the twentieth century, this bow and quiver of arrows was handed over at the time of the surrender.
Most of the Apaches in the Southwest had been forcibly relocated in 1875 to the San Carlos Reservation, a reserve set up in the harsh and malarial desert of the Gila River Bottom. But Geronimo had broken out repeatedly, helping other men, women, and children escape to freedom in the Sierra Madre. It would take a force of 5,000 soldiers — nearly a quarter of the whole U.S. Army — to compel his surrender.
teddy roosevelt’s “big stick”, 1908
Holland & Holland, Ltd. (1835 – present). Royal grade double rifle with case and accessories, presented to Theodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919), 1909. English (London), 1908. (Rifle) Engraved, blue and case-colored steel; gold and walnut; (case and accessories) oak, leather, and various media. Frazier History Museum Collection.
Created for then-U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt and gifted to him in January 1909, a few weeks shy of his departure from office, the so-called “Big Stick” is in fact a Holland & Holland double rifle. It is the most powerful gun Roosevelt ever owned.
Roosevelt used the rifle to hunt elephants, rhinoceros, buffalo, and other big game on a year-long safari in Africa. It later acquired the modern, unofficial nickname of “The Big Stick,” from Roosevelt’s famous quote “speak softly and carry a big stick,” itself derived from a West African proverb.
Mr. Frazier’s Favorites
Below you will find selected artifacts from the collection of our founder, Owsley Brown Frazier. Mr. Frazier’s passion for historic arms and armor lives on in our permanent collection and Founder’s Gallery.
Mauser Model 98 Rifle, 1958
The Mauser Model 98 Rifle is one of the historic firearms in the permanent collection that is a fitting piece of American history to highlight on President’s Day. In May of 1961, just after his two terms as President, General Dwight D. Eisenhower received the Sylvanus Thayer Medal and this rifle as a gift from the fellows from the West Point Class of 1915. The Sylvanus Thayer Award is an honor given to U.S. citizens who in some way have upheld the motto of West Point: Duty, Honor, Country. While U.S. Military Academy graduates are not eligible for the award, Eisenhower is one of three West Point graduates who received it in its early existence. Honorary weapons, such as this rifle, have often been included in the presentation ceremony over the years.
A well-respected gunsmith, Roy Vail, custom-made the rifle around 1958 in Warwick, New York. The story claims that General Eisenhower returned the weapon to Mr. Vail due to a broken trigger, but his family never reclaimed it. The rifle was found in Mr. Vail’s estate before coming into the collection of our founder. Mr. Frazier then gifted the rifle to the museum collection in its earliest days.
