This episode was never meant to be a series finale. David Milch had intended to conclude the series in a fourth or even fifth season, but HBO executives, concerned about the shows' exorbitant budget, asked him to wrap up the show with a fourth season of six episodes. This led to a falling out between Milch and HBO and the show's cancellation.
Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill, who both play uncredited townspeople in this episode, are better known as the two heavily bearded members of the classic rock trio ZZ Top. This was not their first time acting in an period western; ZZ Top also played the onscreen band in one of the scenes set in 1885 in the movie Back to the Future Part III (1990).
The scene where Rutherford quotes the 15th Amendment had to be re-dubbed in post. Ted Mann - who also wrote the episode- got the number wrong.
Motörhead lead vocalist Lemmy, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, singer Pearl Aday, ZZ Top vocalist/guitarist Billy Gibbons and vocalist/bassist Dusty Hill, Scott Ian's brother Jason Rosenfeld, and Blues singer Charlotte Taylor (from Charlotte Taylor and Gypsy Rain) played background extras on this episode, courtesy of their friend W. Earl Brown.
Timothy Olyphant went on to play the lead character, who is also a gun-slinging lawman, on the show Justified (2010); he played Deputy U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens. There are several actors from Deadwood that also play roles on Justifed including: Jim Beaver, Sean Bridges, Gerald McRaney, W. Earl Brown, Garret Dillahunt, Brent Sexton, Ray McKinnon, Steven Tobolowski, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Peter Jason, Channon Roe, Tim DeZarn, Jennifer Lutheran, Gill Gayle, Clay Wilcox, David Carpenter, Tahmus Rounds, and Jackson Bridges.