University of Wyoming
Tim McCoy was a mid-20th century Hollywood Western movie actor, military officer, and promoter of the American Wild West. He was born in Saginaw, Michigan on April 10, 1891, the son of an Irish Union Civil War soldier and Police Chief. As a young man he had a desire to go west and while attending college he decided to seek his adventure and purchased a one-way train ticket. He ended up in Lander, Wyoming where he worked as a ranch hand and learned Native American sign language and customs from the Native Americans in the area, eventually he settled in Thermopolis, Wyoming.
He joined the army and served in the cavalry during World War I and became Adjutant General of Wyoming after the war. In 1922 he resigned his commission in order to assist with recruiting Native Americans and translating for the Western film “The Covered Wagon.” McCoy and his group toured the U.S. and Europe promoting the film. When McCoy returned to Hollywood after the tour, MGM signed him to a contract to star in a series of Westerns. McCoy rapidly rose to stardom, making scores of Westerns and occasional non-Westerns, transitioning from silent film to talkies. By the mid 1930s the popularity of Tim McCoy and his Western films was beginning to wane, partially because of the Depression. In 1935 Tim McCoy left Hollywood to tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus and later formed his own wild west show called “Col. Tim McCoy’s Wild West and Rough Riders of the World,” in 1938 his show went bankrupt and closed.
He returned to films in 1940, but World War II would call him back to the Army. After the war he retired from both film and the military, but continued to make occasional movie and television appearances including his own television show, “The Tim McCoy Show” in 1952. He also wrote short articles, stories, and poetry about the American West, Native Americans, and cowboys, including his autobiography, “Tim McCoy Remembers the West,” in 1977. During his life he was married twice, first to Agnes Miller, which ended in divorce in 1931 and then to Inga Arvad until her death from cancer in 1973. He had a total of five children, three with Agnes and two with Inga. On January 29, 1978 at the age of 86 Tim McCoy died of heart failure at the Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center/Hospital in Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
The Tim McCoy papers contain movie publicity stills, contracts related to his wild west show and television appearances, financial files concerning his wild west show and employees, and manuscripts written by Tim McCoy for his 1952 television show “The Tim McCoy Show” and autobiography “Tim McCoy Remembers the West.” The collection also contains biographical information, a family Bible, research files and lists, correspondence, certificates and awards, abstracts and deeds for his ranch in Wyoming, newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, and scrapbooks regarding Tim McCoy’s professional and personal life.
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Additional archival collections created by Tim McCoy are located at the Wyoming State Archives, Tim McCoy collection, 1918-2000.
This material was received from Ronald McCoy in 1986 and 1987 and Elijah Cobb in 2022.
The collection was processed by Jamie J. Greene in October 2012 and updated in April 2024.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
This series contains correspondence, clippings, biographical information, land titles, certificates, and research files relating to Tim McCoy's personal life and interests.
This series contains show performance and television contracts, manuscripts written by Tim McCoy, financial and employment records for the wild west show, certificates, brochures and pamphlets, clippings, programs, route books for the wild west show and circus performances, and a script.
This series contains movie publicity stills, photographs of the "Col. Tim McCoy's Wild West Show", portraits, and scrapbooks relating to Tim McCoy's professional and personal life.