Time travel in "Gunsmoke" [View all]

[Kaleva]

In the very early episodes, one can see dates on tombstones from the early 1880's. Years later, Kitty makes a remark that the Civil War had ended 10 years ago making that year 1875. In an episode aired shortly before the show was cancelled, Festus is talking about the end of the cattle drives which would have been around 1886-1890 so time jumped forward again.

For much of the show, the good folks of Dodge City were stuck in some kind of time warp where it took 20 years to get out of the 1870's decade.