Director Newman originally scouted locations in Montana, but finding nothing he thought suitable, the film was made in
Sedona, Arizona. During development of the project,
technical advisor on
Native American issues,
Nipo T. Strongheart, wrote a critical review of the proposed screenplay, though other departments of the studio had begun work on it. This led to a meeting with studio executives, which he described as feeling like he was called to the principal's office, and led to a major reconstruction of the whole project. Strongheart worked with the Cree people and their language, and coached non-Indian and Indian actors throughout the movie. During the filming at Sedona, production was interrupted by snowstorms and the flash of a nuclear weapon tested 300 miles (482.8 km) away in Nevada. The producers recruited 450
Navajo to play Cree when large numbers were needed. Strongheart, who also plays a
medicine man in the film, also toured to promote the movie.{{cite news | title =Film Actor works with Ty Jr, now | newspaper =The Deseret News | location =Salt Lake City, Utah | page =4 | date =Aug 31, 1952 | url =https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19520831&id=JhYkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oU0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3355,5806967 ==References==