Ken Curtis who played the part of Festus Haggen in the western television series 'Gunsmoke' wore the hat of Doc Adams in this film.
Many of the locations and names in this movie are related to Willie Nelson. He is from the Waco, TX, area, from where the train comes, and the Brazos is a large river that flows through Waco.
This is Richard Widmark's last western film before his death in 2008.