Tons of us have jumped on the Yellowstone train as this point, and how could we not?
From the badass characters of John, Beth, Rip, and well, just about everybody, the intense storyline, and the gorgeous backdrop of Montana, not to mention the killer country music soundtrack… it’s a win-win for drama, suspense, crime, action, nature lovers, and country music fans alike.
However, there’s one thing we often forget about the show, and it’s the impact that the hit TV series has taken on the actual residents of Montana.
CNBC recently talked with some Montana locals, and as you can imagine, things have changed drastically, and not in a good way for most residents.
Ginger Rice, a lifelong resident of Montana, said she refused to watch the rest of the show after just one episode:
“It’s unreal… It doesn’t portray Bozeman or Montana life as far as I’m concerned.”
However, she also acknowledged the fact that the show has opened a ton of eyes to her gorgeous state:
“Do you see what our state looks like? The mountains and prairies and who can can’t love this?”
A study by the University of Montana also resulted in proof that the show has led to an economic boom for the state. Production spent $72 million in the state, with businesses getting a whopping $85 million economic boost.
But that also means rich people are moving to Montana, trying to get a shot of that fictitious ranch life. Trying to channel their inner John Dutton.
Robert Keith, founder of boutique investment firm Beartooth Group, addressed the number of wealthy people coming into the state recently:
“We’ve had an influx of all sorts of wealthy individuals looking for ranches… they’re looking to own really amazing large properties.”
In the Bozeman area alone, a single-family home price jumped from $500K before the pandemic, to $750K. Missoula and Kalispell, where a good bit of the show has been filmed, has seen an even larger spikes in price.
On top of that, Montana has seen a 9.6% population increase between 2010 to 2020. In 2021, during the pandemic, the state became one of the fastest growing states in the country.
Tim Murphy, a ranch broker from Bozeman and partner at Hall & Hall, weighed in on the drastic population boost:
“A lot of our clients during the pandemic, came out and found shelter at the ranches, a safe place to be and no people around.”
Rice also discussed her concerns for the quick rising home prices, and how her daughter and son-in-law were recently told that their landlord was not renewing their lease due to the price spike:
“My daughter says we’ll never be able to afford a house. We tried to save but everything’s going up and up and up.”
Some have opted to move into campers and RVs, and others in tents… Habitat for Humanity is calling it a housing crisis:
“Montana has quickly become inaccessible to those who live and work here.”
And when newcomers arrive in town, they don’t necessarily rush to become part of the community. Rice adds that she isn’t close to her neighbors anymore, nor does she like all the fancy rich folks that seem to be all over Bozeman:
“I used to love the fact that you knew your neighbors. We still do know our neighbors, but we’re not really friends with our neighbors.
I don’t like how busy it is. I don’t like traffic. And it’s too expensive.”
Granted, the same thing is happening in a lot of cities that are booming… cities like Austin, Nashville, Boise, Spokane… rich people are fleeing places like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and they’re willing to pay above asking for property.
And when everybody is overpaying to make sure they get the spots they want, everybody else gets priced out of the market. What’s the answer?
I’m not sure, but I’m not sure that you can entirely blame it on television show.
Then again, look at this place… who wouldn’t want to live here:
Shop the new Yellowstone Collection from Whiskey Riff Shop
Harrison Ford To Play Jacob Dutton In Upcoming Yellowstone Prequel, ‘1923’
Another Yellowstone prequel series is on the way and we’re finally getting a look at the cast and the characters.
All we know about the upcoming prequel, titled 1923, is that it will be based on the Dutton family around the time of prohibition and the roaring ’20s, and it’ll star Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and Sebastian Roche was added to the cast as well.
Here’s the brief synopsis:
“1923 focuses on the Dutton family’s next two generations as they struggle to survive historic drought, lawlessness and Prohibition, and an epidemic of cattle theft; all battled beneath the cloud of Montana’s great depression, which preceded the nation by almost a decade.”
Fans were debating what role Ford and Mirren would play in the second installment of the Yellowstone prequel, with most thinking they would play an older version of one of James Dutton’s (Tim McGraw in 1883) kids.
However, we now have a better idea on who will have a part in 1923, according to TVLine.
Harrison Ford will play Jacob Dutton, the brother of James in 1883 played by Tim McGraw, while Mirren will play Cara Dutton, Jacob’s wife.
Production for the prequel is underway in Montana at the moment, as they shoot for a December 2022 launch.
In the mean time, let’s take a look at the upcoming stars for the show:
The Dutton Family:
James Badge Dale will play John Dutton Sr., the oldest nephew and right-hand man of Jacob. He’s the son of James Dutton (Tim McGraw) and the great grandfather of John Dutton (Kevin Costner).
Marley Shelton will play Emma Dutton, the wife of John Dutton Sr. and the mother of Jack Dutton.
Darren Mann will play Jack Dutton, the son of John Sr. and Emma, and the great nephew of Jacob Dutton. He’s a hardworking rancher and dedicated to the Dutton name.
Additional Characters:
Michelle Randolph will play Elizabeth Strafford, a feisty woman who is willing to do anything to marry into the Dutton family.
Brian Geraghty will play a loyal ranch foreman in the show.
Aminah Nieves will play Teonna Rainwater, a young woman who lives at a government residential boarding school. Judging by the last name, she’s probably related to Thomas Rainwater from Yellowstone.
Julia Schlaepfer will play Alexandra, a British woman who meets one of the Duttons while abroad.
Based on the family tree and the timeline we’re given, it sounds like James and Margaret Dutton of 1883 are no longer around (they’ve would’ve been around 80 years old and the average lifespan back then was about 50 years old).
And while Harrison Ford will play presumably the younger brother of James Dutton, you have to imagine that much of the story will focus on John Sr. and Jack (much like 1883 focused on Elsa), as they are the line that drives us towards a modern day Yellowstone.
Nevertheless, I can’t wait to see how it all comes together this December.
The Dutton Family Tree
In that 1893 flashback from Yellowstone Season 4, we see that James has two sons with him, John Sr. (who will be a major character in 1923) and Spencer… Generation Two.
They should be in their forties or so by the time 1923 rolls around and will have children of their own (Generation Three), and John Sr. and Spencer might even have young grandchildren (people got married pretty young back then), so that’s Generation Four.
Now, here’s where it get’s interesting… John Dutton III (born sometime in the 1950s) of Yellowstone would be Generation Five, which means Kayce, Jamie (adopted), the late Lee Dutton, and Beth Dutton would all be Generation Six, and young Tate would be Generation 7.
And that’s exactly what Tim McGraw himself has confirmed.
Tim says he plays the great-great-grandfather of John Dutton in the bonus Blu-ray content:
“I play John Dutton’s great-great-grandfather. Our family is the first to discover Yellowstone and settle it. And in doing that, we are the first to really defend it and fight people off, and try to establish it and then survive.
J.D.’s the patriarch of the family. He’s the guy that had the balls, I guess, to set out and take his family across the country and head up to Montana, and sorta settle this unknown land, this untamed land up there, and turn it into something.”
Of course, which generation of Dutton has implications for the show because in the Season Finale of 1883, Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) is on the verge of death and her father, James Dutton (Tim McGraw) needs to find a place to bury her because wherever they bury her body is where the Dutton family is going to settle.
So Spotted Eagle, a Crow elder, recommends a spot called the Paradise Valley.
But, there’s a catch… the Duttons can’t have it forever.
“Yes, Paradise. Good name. But you know this: that in seven generations, my people will rise up and take it back from you.”
To which James says:
“In seven generations, you can have it.”
Doesn’t bode well for the Dutton family in Yellowstone Season 5, does it?
Shop the Yellowstone Collection from Whiskey Riff Shop
If you’re looking for the entire Yellowstone soundtrack, complete through every episode of Season 4, then look no further.
Our Yellowstone: The Soundtrack Playlist, featuring every song from every episode, updated in real time, every Sunday night.
