The Shepherd of the Hills was first made into a movie in 1919. Remakes were filmed in 1928, 1941, 1951, and 1963. The 1941 Paramount Pictures Technicolor filming starred the rising young actor, John Wayne, as young Matt.

Several stage versions of The Shepherd of the Hills have been performed through the years. Prior to 1931, Wright produced the play, at his own expense, with all proceeds to go to charity. In 1960 a group in Branson, Missouri formed The Shepherd of the Hills Historical Society. They built an outdoor theater and staged the novel, declaring eighty-five percent of the dialogue was from the book. The play, produced from May to October each year, complete with live horses and a burning cabin, has an average annual attendance of a quarter of a million people. The Institute of Outdoor Drama in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, has recognized it as America's most attended outdoor theater.