He is named after the titular character in Josiah Gilbert Holland's 1873 novel Arthur Bonnicastle.

In 1899 he attended the Carlisle Indian School before joining the United States Army the next year.

[4][5][6] In 1908, Bonnicastle ran for the Osage Nation tribal council and won the election.

In 1922, he did not seek re-election as chief and instead ran for and won a tribal council seat.

[8][9][10] Bonnicastle was portrayed by Yancey Red Corn in the 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon.