Ben says of an express car, "Split her open like a can of Arbuckle." Brothers John and Charles Arbuckle went into the coffee business in the 1860s, and in 1868, John patented a formula for an egg-based glaze that coated coffee beans, protecting them from the air. This allowed them to be the first merchants to sell packaged coffee. The Arbuckles sold packaged coffee under the Ariosa brand, which was popular in the western frontier, gaining the motto: "The Coffee that won the West".
Along with Ripper (1999), this is one of only two episodes of the series set prior to the 1990s which does not involve time travel.
The alien makes the same roar as a jaguar when taking on the form of the Preacher and vice versa.
This episode takes place in Heart's Desire, the Oregon Territory in 1872.