Believe it or not, I live right across the street from a fire station.
And I know what you’re thinking… “that sucks,” but they usually wait until they get to the end of the block to flip on the siren, and I never hear the fire alarm so it’s actually pretty cool.
It’s also pretty cool because just yesterday, I had a 100-person film crew in my front yard filming Chicago Fire.
Does that suck? Yeah sometimes, when you’re trying to get your car out…
But the point of all of this is that it can really help transform a neighborhood, a community, a county… hell, even a state.
According to NBC, a University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) study has shown that Yellowstone has brought in over $70 million dollars to the state in the past year.
Filmed in the Bitterroot Valley, Season 4 of the Kevin Costner show added 527 permanent jobs in the state, not including the 624 Montana residents who were employed during filming as extras.
The numbers shake our to about $25.3 million in annual personal income for Montana households, and a whopping $85.8 million in additional gross receipts for Montana businesses and non-business organizations. Annual revenues of state government were higher by about by $10.6 million as well.
BBER Director Patrick Barkey says the show filming in Montana has been great for the economy:
“The production activities of ‘Yellowstone’ Season Four in Montana supported jobs and income well in excess of its own economic footprint, making Montana’s economy larger and more prosperous than it otherwise would have been.
The high-paying nature of the production-related jobs, and the considerable demand for locally produced goods and services, are the main reasons why the economic impacts were so sizable.”
The show spent about five months filming last year, which saw significant spending in areas like lodging and rental cars, veterinary and animal services, and more.
And of course, they doesn’t include what 1883 generated in the locations that it filmed.
Rent Rip Wheeler’s Cabin On The Real-Life Yellowstone Dutton Ranch
Yellowstone is the hottest shows on television right now and with the Season 4 wrapping up, and Season 5 about to start production, fans are dying to know what’s going to happen to the Dutton family.
And while the storyline of the show is compelling and the music is phenomenal (we’re talking about Cody Jinks, Colter Wall, Tyler Childers, Whiskey Myers, and even Zach Bryan), the show features some of the most captivating settings in all of TV.
Set in the beautiful state of Montana, near Yellowstone National Park, the real-life Dutton Ranch is actually the Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana.
And the best part? You can rent a cabin on the property.
That’s right people, if you’re a fan of the show Yellowstone, you can actually spend the night on the Dutton Ranch.
While you can’t stay in the Dutton home itself, the Chief Joseph Ranch does rent out two cabins on the property: the Ben Cook Cabin (which is Rip’s cabin in Season 1 and Casey’s cabin in Season 2) and the Fisherman’s Cabin (which is Lee’s cabin in Season 1 and Season 2).
Each cabin sleeps 8 guests and has a full kitchen and a grill. The cost is $1500 per night (includes up to 4 guests) and $50 per night per each additional guest.
You can contact them on their website to find the availability, but right now, with them still filming the show for the foreseeable future, you’re going to have to book them well in advance.
I mean, is there better way to experience the great state of Montana, the great outdoors, AND get your Yellowstone fix? I don’t think so.
And right now, you can actually WIN a trip to stay there for FREE.
I mean, look at this place.
Start planning next year’s vacation.
Want a closer look? Paramount Network shared a video taking you inside the real Dutton Ranch.
If you’re as stoked as I am for the music of Season 5, you MUST be following our Yellowstone: The Soundtrack playlist, available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Featuring EVERY SINGLE SONG from the series, we make sure we update it in real time, so every Sunday night, all the new stuff is right there.
