Is there really a Dutton ranch in Montana?
As Town & Country reported, the real Dutton Ranch is located in Darby, Montana, and it's just as glorious as you'd expect. It also happens to have cabins available for rental.
The Dutton Property is a Real Montana Ranch
In fact, the Dutton home is a real-life 5,000- square-foot log mansion in Darby, Montana, the New York Post reports. The setting for the Yellowstone Dutton ranch is The Chief Joseph Ranch.
Inhabitants. Yellowstone Dutton Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States located in the Paradise Valley in Park County, Montana, east of Bozeman and west of Livingston. The ranch is owned by John Dutton.
The ranch is owned by Shane Libel, who was joined by Yellowstone set decorator Carla Curry in a tour of the home Paramount released before Season 4 began. Kevin Costner's John Dutton and his family live in the 5,000-square-foot log mansion built on the ranch in 1917 for glass tycoon William Ford.
Much like Yellowstone, 1883 is not based on a true story. The show is fictitious and has been invented by creator Taylor Sheridan. 1883 is a prequel to Yellowstone and is set in—you guessed it—1883. Like Yellowstone, this series follows the Dutton family, but an earlier generation of the family.
Is The Show 1883 Historically Accurate? Indeed, even though 1883's strength lies in historical accuracy and authenticity, it's also not a documentary. Rather, 1883 is a prequel spinoff series to one of the most entertaining and fast-paced neo-Western dramas of all time.
John Dutton and his ranch have some real-life counterparts
Texas ranching legend W.T. Waggoner may have been the inspiration for John Dutton and his ancestors, as he owned the 525,000-acre North Texas Waggoner Ranch. Established in 1849, the Waggoner Ranch held the title of America's largest ranch for decades.
Who Owns Montana's Largest Ranch? Montana's largest ranch is owned by Dan and Farris Wilks. The Wilks Brothers made a fortune from the fracking industry in Texas. They have bought large tracts of land in Montana and are the second largest landowners in the state.
In another early episode, Willa Hayes and her firm Market Equities express interest in purchasing some of John Dutton's land, offering $10,000 per acre for 50,000 acres. Assuming that price per acre is maintained across all 750,000, you're looking at a cool $7.5 BILLION for the fictional ranch.
Market Equities offered John Dutton $500 million for his 'Yellowstone' ranch. Season 3 of Yellowstone saw Market Equities CEO Willa Hayes (Karen Pittman) and hedge fund manager Roarke Morris (Josh Holloway) offer the Duttons $500 million for their land.
What year is Yellowstone set in?
Yellowstone is a modern-day western series that premiered on June 20, 2018 on Paramount Network. It focuses on the Duttons, a ranching family living in Montana, near Yellowstone National Park. Its prequels, 1883 and 1923 focus on the family's history.
The Yellowstone Ranch
Property taxes and high expenses required to run such a vast family ranch have made John Dutton a bit cash poor, which is why his daughter Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and son Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) see the value in accepting a major cash offer for the land in season 4.
Many of Yellowstone's episodes show off breathtaking views of the great outdoors—and all of that natural scenery is 100% authentic. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, 70-75% of the first three seasons of the series were filmed in more than 20 locations across Utah as part of the state's film incentive program.
Kevin Costner
Paradise Valley and Bozeman aren't in the same county
Casual viewers might watch and assume that the college town of Bozeman, home of Montana State University, and Paradise Valley, the location of the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, aren't far, but the truth is they're not exactly as close as they're said to be.
Elsa is the sister of John Dutton Senior, but her relationship with Costner's character is more complicated. As John Dutton Junior came into the mix, Elsa is Costner's character's great aunt.
Elsa Dutton dies in her father's arms
During Elsa's final moments, James takes his daughter to an open area and they rest by a very specific tree — a tree that "Yellowstone" fans quickly recognized (via Twitter). "This is the spot," she tells her father.
First Generation: James Dutton
James Dutton is played by Tim McGraw. Per Yellowstone and 1883 creator Taylor Sheridan in The Road West special, he is the great-great-great grandfather to John Dutton, played by Kevin Costner.
James actor Tim McGraw explained the effects of the War on his character, and why he decided to leave Tennessee afterward. “I think James was really suffering from PTSD, which nobody knew about then,” McGraw told Outsider. “He was in a war he didn't want to fight and battles where he lost all his men.
As for the original 1883, which counted Sam Elliott, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw among its stars, series creator Taylor Sheridan revealed in February that the show was only envisioned as a one-season drama. Despite Bass Reeves' status as an 1883 spinoff, there are still no plans for the mothership to return.
What nationality are the pioneers in 1883?
They are European, hailing from Germany, and Josef is established as one of the few amongst them that can speak English. This ultimately elevates his status amongst the group, as he is able to relay information between both parties.
While 1883 may seem like a tale as old as time, the Westward expansion-inspired show is fiction. And, considering Yellowstone's full plotline is also not based on a true story, this shouldn't be all too surprising.
The clan has owned a sprawling cattle ranch in Montana's Paradise Valley called Yellowstone Ranch for generation upon generation, and the Duttons now find themselves in a position that their manifest destiny–spouting ancestors were once on the other side of: trying to prevent others from taking their land.
The largest landowners in the United States are John Malone, the Emmerson Family, Ted Turner, the Reed Family, and Stan Kroenke. John Malone is the largest landowner with about 2.2 million acres of land across the country, including in Maine, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.
- Farris and Dan Wilks. 358,837 acres.
- Galt family. 248,023 acres.
- Stan Kroenke. 225,162 acres.
- Robert Earl Holding. 213,462 acres.
- Coffee family. 212,633 acres.
- Great Northern Properties, 153,056 acres.
- Ted Turner. 148,870 acres.
- John Hillenbrand. 118,417 acres.
Dollar per acre sales price for properties with 640+ acres in western Montana have been steadily increasing over the last 30 years, with an average dollar/acre value of $1,255 (1990-2020). Dollar per acre sales in western Montana reached a new high in 2021 at $2,115/acre.
Ethan Lee - Ethan
Ethan Lee is a real-life cowboy who grew up in Amite, La, spending years at the rodeo riding bulls, horses, and more. He even spent years working as a trick rider.
As it turns out, the actor behind the long-time Dutton employee, Forrie J. Smith, is a real-life cowboy with decades of experience under his large-buckled belt.
There was also a scene where Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) tells John that “you own a ranch the size of Rhode Island.” That may have been a bit of an exaggeration. But if the Dutton Ranch is anywhere near the size of that state, that means it's close to 776,900 acres.
The Dutton family's home from Yellowstone isn't open to guests, but the Chief Joseph Ranch rents out two other cabins on the property that have also appeared on the show.
Does anyone live at the Dutton ranch?
Now, the lodge has taken on a new life by being featured in 'Yellowstone' as the Dutton's main residence. But, when filming is over, the impressively rustic structure actually still serves as the current ranch owners' family home.
The 2,500-acre ranch property was homesteaded by settlers in 1880 when it became known as the Shelton ranch.
While 1883 may seem like a tale as old as time, the Westward expansion-inspired show is fiction. And, considering Yellowstone's full plotline is also not based on a true story, this shouldn't be all too surprising.
John Dutton and his ranch have some real-life counterparts
Texas ranching legend W.T. Waggoner may have been the inspiration for John Dutton and his ancestors, as he owned the 525,000-acre North Texas Waggoner Ranch. Established in 1849, the Waggoner Ranch held the title of America's largest ranch for decades.
The Yellowstone Ranch
Granted, that doesn't mean John Dutton actually has over $700 million in the bank. Part of the plot surrounding his cattle ranch is that Dutton is trying to maintain a certain way of life in Montana that has been consistently fading away.
In another early episode, Willa Hayes and her firm Market Equities express interest in purchasing some of John Dutton's land, offering $10,000 per acre for 50,000 acres. Assuming that price per acre is maintained across all 750,000, you're looking at a cool $7.5 BILLION for the fictional ranch.
Yellowstone is a modern-day western series that premiered on June 20, 2018 on Paramount Network. It focuses on the Duttons, a ranching family living in Montana, near Yellowstone National Park. Its prequels, 1883 and 1923 focus on the family's history.
Many of Yellowstone's episodes show off breathtaking views of the great outdoors—and all of that natural scenery is 100% authentic. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, 70-75% of the first three seasons of the series were filmed in more than 20 locations across Utah as part of the state's film incentive program.
Montana. Farris and Dan Wilks are the largest landowners in Montana, with a total of 358,837 acres.
King Ranch, largest ranch in the United States, composed of a group of four tracts of land in southeastern Texas, totaling approximately 825,000 acres (333,800 hectares). The King Ranch was established by Richard King, a steamboat captain born in 1825 in Orange county, New York.
Is Kevin Costner's daughter in Yellowstone?
Kevin Costner
