John and Francis were killed in the Whitman Massacre near Walla Walla, Washington on 29 November 1847 by Cayuse Indians. The surviving children were kidnapped and held for ransom, with Louisa dying in captivity.
Five of the seven child actors playing the Sager children are real-life siblings.
For some reason, at some point after the film's release, the film became regarded as public domain in America. Floods of inferior-quality releases have been floating around the market, usually sourced from either the original Children's Video Library VHS or a lower quality source.
Robert O. Ragland's score and the song "Only a Dream Away" were on the short list for Oscar nominations for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.