Timeframe in story?
What years was this supposed to take place in? In the beginning and then when the flashback story beings?
shareThe beginning and end are early 20th Century; the rest of the movie is probably 1880's, but we aren't told which territory it is that the story is set in (Arizona? New Mexico? Montana? Wyoming? Colorado?) so the timeline is intentionally blurred.
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A synopsis I saw says the "present" story is in 1910 - I don't know if that is accurate - and the main story happened 25 years later, and thus about 1885.
If the "present" is in 1900 25 years earlier would be 1875.
I think it was said that Stoddard was governor for two terms (8 years) and had two or three terms as senator (12 or 18 years), then was ambassador at the Court of St. James, and then Senator again. That adds up to 20 or 24 years before he became ambassador, it could easily be up to 30 years total.
There seem to be many Mexicans in the town, which indicates the State could be California (1850), Nevada (1864), Utah (1896), Colorado (1876), Arizona (1912), New Mexico (1912), or Texas (1845).
One line mentions "the Cattleman's Association north of the Picket Wire". The Purgatoire River in Colorado is often called the Picket Wire River.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatoire_River
Because of the date of admission and "the Picket Wire" the state that fits the best in real history is Colorado. But I suspect The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance could be "Colorarizexico" or something in the Wild West of the imagination.