Letters written by Elinore Pruitt Stewart (aka Elinore Stewart) provided the basis for the film. These letters dated from April 1909 to November 1913 and were first printed in "The Atlantic Monthly".
The film's closing credits dedication reads: "In Loving Memory of Elinore and Clyde Stewart."
Screenwriter Beth Ferris and executive producer Annick Smith interviewed the children of Elinore Pruitt Stewart (aka Elinore Stewart) for the production. They were Jerrine Wire, Robert Stewart, and Clyde Stewart Jr. They also consulted historians T. A. Larsen and K. Ross Toole and were assisted by experienced writer Bill Kittredge and script consultant Elizabeth Clark.
The movie's closing credits state: "This film was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities [NEH]". The amount of this funding was US $82,500 and was came through the Wilderness Institute of the University of Montana.
The film in 1981 was selected for inclusion as one of the 'Top Ten Films of the Year' by the USA's National Board of Review, alongside cinematic heavyweights like Academy Award® for Best Picture winner Momenti di gloria (1981) and the Steven Spielberg blockbuster I predatori dell'arca perduta (1981).