But the general understanding — that people and their homelands are connected in ways that have consequence beyond the physical — is relevant to understanding why the descendants have persisted in pursuing this question.

The Newspapers And Geronimo: How The American Media Made Him Famous

One dimension of the Geronimo story that is essential for understanding why the skull mystery carries the weight it does is the role of the American press in constructing his public image.

From the early 1880s, when the telegraph allowed news of Apache raids to reach Eastern cities within hours of the events, Geronimo was a figure of intense newspaper interest.

Headlines about Apache raiders were circulation builders.