George Waggner perhaps is best know for directing horror films, such as The Wolf Man (1941), as well as numerous WB TV series such as 77 Sunset Strip (1958) and Maverick (1957). Although he never explained why, whenever possible, he preferred to render the spelling of his name in lower case with only the double 'G' in his last name in upper case; hence, the appearance of his name in the credits and on the back of his director's chair.
The title, which in the story refers to the name of the town, comes from the Spanish word that means simply a small river. In the parlance of residents of Southwestern U.S., the term is used loosely to refer to a desert stream bed or wash that is usually dry, but fills and flows after rain storms. It's become emblematic of a setting for many a story set in the proverbial Old West.