The character of Yates Martin is based on Colorado's "Silver King", Horace A.W. Tabor (1830-1899), who was a United States Senator for one month and built Denver's opera house in the late 1800s. Lily Owen's character is based on Elizabeth "Baby" Doe Tabor, whom Tabor married after creating a huge scandal by leaving his wife, Augusta Tabor.
The story of Horace A. W. Tabor and Baby Doe Tabor, the real-life inspiration for the main characters in this film, was immortalized in "The Ballad of Baby Doe", an opera by the American composer Douglas Moore that uses an English-language libretto by John La Touche.
The original "Silver Dollar" was Silver Dollar Tabor, the daughter of Horace and Baby Doe Tabor. This film was loosely based on the story of the Tabors.
Original cast members Berton Churchill (President Arthur) and David Landau (Hook) were replaced by Lee Kohlmar and Emmett Corrigan, respectively. John Marston (Gelsey) was not seen in the film.