Did you know that although the show is set in Texas, almost all of the filming for Ransom Canyon took place in New Mexico — especially around Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Vegas (NM) rather than Texas.
On one night‑shoot they used an old mining‑town street in Las Vegas NM that dates to the 1800s to simulate the town square of Ransom Canyon.
On the ranch scenes — for the Double K and Bar W ranches — they actually used real cattle, real barns, and the crew had to work in the freezing early morning hours to get the golden light.
One insider whispered: “The horses weren’t always cooperative — we’d get scenes ruined by a runaway horse in literally take 10”. The production credits list 700+ local talents in New Mexico for background and extras.
There’s a hidden nod the creators dropped: in the background of several scenes you’ll spot an old mining cart from the Las Vegas NM mining era. It was never in the books by Jodi Thomas — it was inserted by the director as a symbolic anchor for “legacy” and “buried secrets”.
If you look closely in Episode 5, during a ranch meeting scene, the cart sits just behind a barn window. Some eagle‑eyed fans caught it on their second watch. That kind of visual Easter egg shows the makers were thinking deeper than the dialogue suggests.
