Due to asphyxia in his closed trailer, actor Richard Kelton died on the first day of filming as the adult Philip Wendell; Morgan Paull took his place, this being his first episode.
Jesse Vint's brother Allen Vint plays a young cowboy working for an aged (with makeup) William Atherton. Atherton had originally played a young cowboy who worked with Jesse Vint.
Geoffrey Lewis, the new sheriff, and Darrell Fetty, the racist goading the Spanish girl, share a scene together, and were both in John Milius's epic 'The Wind and The Lion', and were both regular stock actors in Milius films, some of which are, like this miniseries, based on American history.
Lynn Redgrave and Sharon Gless were both on the sitcom House Calls, but at different times; Redgrave quit the series and Gless took over.
The wide shot of the closely-approaching giant dust storm (and a few shots of people taking refuge) was lifted from the movie Bound For Glory, which was set in the same period, The Depression.