The horse stampede sequence comes from the earlier Glenn Ford Western "The Desperadoes" (1943).
Edward G. Robinson may seem oddly cast in a western, but he was a rush replacement for Broderick Crawford who early on in shooting fell off his horse and was injured. Robinson would later appear in the western Cheyenne Autumn (1964), this time replacing the ill Spencer Tracy.
The wooden anchor above the entrance to the Anchor Ranch in the film was given to the owners of the real-life Anchor Ranch in Lone Pine after the film was completed and to this day continues to mark the entrance to the ranch.
The instrument that Doctor Crowell (Raymond Greenleaf) uses to listen to the chest of John Parrish (Glenn Ford) is a Pinard Horn, developed in 1895 in France by Adolphe Pinard for the purpose of listening to the fetal heartbeat. It is still used in Europe when Doppler equipment is not available.
The novel upon which this film is based, "Smoky Valley", by Donald Hamilton, was serialized in Collier's magazine from December 11, 1953 to January 22, 1954.