Col. Tim McCoy’s Real Wild West

An examination of the life and career of movie star “Colonel” Tim McCoy (1891-1978) and his role in bringing attention to Native American Sign Language in popular culture.

Cowboy. Soldier. Movie Star. Storyteller of the Old West. Colonel Tim McCoy (1891-1978) was all these things and more. To an earlier generation of moviegoers, he was best known as the star of countless B Westerns. But to the Arapaho of Wyoming, McCoy was always High Eagle—a friend to their tribe and an authentic cowboy who brought attention to Native American sign language in popular culture. An expert in “sign talk,” he demonstrated his expertise on tribal communication both on film and television. Decades before Dances With Wolves (1990), McCoy’s film, End of the Trail (1932) reflected a rare social consciousness and a perspective that recognized the white man’s injustices towards Native Americans.

Tim McCoy has been called the last link between the Old West and the new—a storyteller who spoke with authority and first-hand knowledge. As a cowboy and rancher, he knew the West and had met several of its more colorful characters, including his mentor, William “Buffalo Bill” Cody. McCoy carried on Cody’s tradition of the “Wild West” show by forming his own, which opened in Chicago in 1938. Throughout his life, McCoy maintained strong ties to the West—but none were more lasting than those with the Arapaho, who accepted him as one of their own.

This examination of McCoy’s life and career is presented on McCoy’s birthday, April 10, by film historian Matthew C. Hoffman, a McCoy researcher and host of the Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series in Park Ridge, IL. He works full-time as the Circulation manager at Wilmette Public Library. The multi-media presentation will feature photos, film clips, and stories told in McCoy’s own words. Tim McCoy memorabilia will also be on display.

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