Background
Rope was born somewhere between Old Summit and Black River, Arizona, but says his earliest memories are from his time near Cedar Creek, which is just West of Fort Apache.
Rope was born somewhere between Old Summit and Black River, Arizona, but says his earliest memories are from his time near Cedar Creek, which is just West of Fort Apache.
Rope"s father was Nayundiie, a White Mountain Apache clan leader. He was foster brother to Mickey Free. Rope stated that he had joined the army "in order to help the whites against the Chiricahuas because they had killed a lot of people." Rope rode as a scout for General George Crook during the Apache wars.
During his time as a scout Rope attempted to arrest Casador (Casadora, Nànt"àntco - "great chief") a Western Apache, who was chief of the San Carlos Apaches.
Casador had turned renegade after shooting and killing a woman and a manitoba He had dug in at Black Mesa and during the encounter with Rope one of the other Apache scouts was killed after Casador"s warriors had opened fire upon them.
Rope was with Crook during the capture of Chihuahua in the Sierra Madres and gave an account of the killing of Chihuahua"s aunt by other scouts which resulted in the death of a young white captive boy by name of Charley McComas. Rope was extensively interviewed by Grenville Goodwin in later life.
Rope was buried in Bylas, Arizona following his death and was given a full United States military honors burial, by the United States. Army scouts based in Fort Huachuca.
He was the first Apache scout to receive this honor.