The deal was struck, and McCoy and five hundred Arapahos and Shoshones began movie careers in the first western epic, The Covered Wagon. McCoy was the technical adviser on that film, but after that, he became an actor and before long, a movie star. Arapahos and Shoshones went on to appear in other silent movies, including Spoilers of the West and End of the Trail.
McCoy remained friends with the Arapahos, visiting the reservation into the 1970s and often stopping by to see his friend, Father John Kil loren, S.J., pastor of St. Stephen’s Mission (the actual mission upon which St. Francis Mission is based).
In the story, Father John and Vicky are the ones who must learn the truth behind Charlie Wallowingbull’s disappearance in Hollywood in 1923. But I have no doubt that if an Arapaho had actually gone missing in Hollywood, Tim McCoy would have torn the town apart to get the answers. He was that kind of cowboy.
The Silent Spirit Page 32