This was the first script written specifically for Bart. Their typical procedure was that the scripts would be written for Bret, given to James Garner, Garner would then choose which scripts he wanted, and which ones he would pass off to Jack Kelly.
Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) was heading to Deadwood, South Dakota, which was involved in the Black Hills Gold Rush of the latter half of the 1870s. Deadwood reached a population of about 25,000 in 1876, but a devastating fire in 1879 and a switch from panning for gold to deep mining dropped the population to 3,777 by the 1880 census.
This episode takes place in June 1878, based on the dates entered onto the tombstones of two characters who die during the action.
Cindy Lou and Bart make reference to Alias Bart Maverick (1958) when discussing their previous time in the Black Hills.