Through new Yellowstone spinoffs, the story of the Dutton family will continue beyond the events of the original series and its prequels. However, the original run of shows charts an intriguing journey spanning over one hundred years as the Duttons established and subsequently lost their massive Montana ranch. From 1883 to 2024, this is the complete history of the Dutton Family Ranch in the Yellowstone universe.
A Guide of the Yellowstone Ranch’s Owners
The Yellowstone-Dutton Ranch Passes to Many Individuals Over the Centuries
The Yellowstone-Dutton Ranch changed hands several times between the events of 1883 and the final season of Yellowstone. Originally traversed by the indigenous peoples of Montana, the land was eventually possessed by six generations of Duttons before eventually returning to the Native Americans who first sold it. Below is a comprehensive guide to the main owners of the land from 1883 to the present day.
| Ownership of the Yellowstone-Dutton Ranch | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Years |
| Indigenous Peoples | Before 1883 |
| James Dutton | 1883-1893 |
| Jacob Dutton | 1893-c. 1924 |
| Spencer Dutton | c. 1924 – Unknown |
| John Dutton II | Sometime after 1944 – 2003 |
| John Dutton III | 2003 – 2022 |
| Kayce and Beth Dutton | 2022 |
| Thomas Rainwater (Broken Rock Reservation) | 2022-Present |
Are the Duttons good or evil? While they may be the heroes of Yellowstone, the Duttons have done plenty of terrible things over the years.
1883: The Yellowstone-Dutton Ranch Is Established
The Duttons Put Down Roots in Montana in the Late 19th Century
At this point in history, the Dutton Ranch was far from the massive undertaking that is seen in Yellowstone. The Duttons set up a simple homestead on the land, where they slowly built up their resources over the next several years. Now left with only one child, John, James and his wife Margaret had one more child, Spencer, who was born in 1889.
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1893: James Dutton Dies and Jacob Dutton Takes Over the Ranch
The Ranch’s Ownership Changes Hands for the First Time
James Dutton always intended for the family ranch to pass down to his eldest son, John. Unfortunately, fate had different ideas in store for the Dutton family. The harsh winter of 1893 brought many hardships for the Duttons, particularly when a group of horse thieves trespassed on their land. Confronting the thieves, James Dutton managed to drive them off the land but sustained a mortal injury in the process. Making it back to the homestead, James died with his wife present. With limited resources to survive the winter, Margaret wrote a letter to James’s brother Jacob, pleading with him to come and take over the ranch.
1923’s latest episode teases the origins of an iconic location from the original Yellowstone series that nearly destroyed the Dutton family.
1923: Donald Whitfield Makes a Play for the Yellowstone-Dutton Ranch
The Duttons Faced the First True Threat to Their Ranch in 1923
In 1923, British businessman Donald Whitfield saw the potential in a tract of land like the Yellowstone. Hoping to take it over and turn it into a ski lodge, Whitfield teamed up with an Irish sheep herder named Banner Creighton to make a play for the Dutton Family Ranch. In an early battle between the Duttons and Creighton’s men, John was shot dead, leaving behind a wife and son. Tragically, both his wife and son would also die by the end of the war with Whitfield, marking an end to one line of the Dutton family.
Spencer Dutton and his new wife, Alexandra, were called back from Africa to help fight for the Yellowstone Ranch. After trekking across the globe and surviving many perils, the two independently returned to Montana. Tragically, Alexandra died shortly after giving birth to Spencer’s son, whom they named John after his late brother. In recompense for Alex’s death, which he deemed to be Whitfield’s fault, Spencer charged into the businessman’s mansion and shot him to death. This officially ended the war with Whitfield and reaffirmed the Duttons as the sole proprietors of the ranch. Jacob and Cara continued to run the ranch until at least 1924.
Yellowstone’s next spinoff series has been announced–and it’s already changing Taylor Sheridan’s television universe in the best way possible.
After 1924: The Ranch Passes Down to Spencer Dutton
The End of 1923 Sets Up the Next Stage of the Dutton Family Saga
During this time, Spencer raised his son, John Dutton II, who himself would eventually take over the ranch, just like his father before him. In 1956, John had a son, whom he named after himself. John Dutton III, played by Kevin Costner in the original Yellowstone series, continued the prominent line of Dutton men who inherited ownership of the family ranch, bringing the franchise full-circle.
Despite what the critics might say, 1923 is better than Yellowstone in one crucial way that helps make the Dutton family more compelling.
Before 2018: John Dutton III Takes Control of the Yellowstone
John Dutton II Passes the Ranch Down to His Son
This death sets up the events of Yellowstone, which see John working hard to ensure that no one takes over the land that his family fought so hard and so long for. John marries Evelyn and they go on to have three biological children and adopt one additional son (though they kept his adoption a secret). Each of these children goes on to serve a pivotal role in the ranch’s development, though Evelyn dies too early to see who any of her children would grow up to be. Lee, the eldest of the Dutton children, is meant to inherit the land after his father but tragically dies in a shootout in 2018. Jamie, the adopted son, grows up to become an attorney, using his legal knowledge to defend the Duttons’ less-than-legal activities. Beth, the only girl among the bunch, becomes an executive, using her knowledge in the business world to destroy her family’s enemies. The youngest of all, Kayce struggles with his devotion to the Dutton ranch but eventually succeeds his father as Montana’s Livestock Commissioner. Though they struggle and fall out at times, the Duttons manage to overcome numerous enemies who wish to take their land, including land developer Dan Jenkins and cutthroat Market Equities executive Sarah Atwood.
2022: John Dutton III Becomes Governor of Montana
The Duttons Enter Politics–And Stir the Waters
Even as tensions rise around him and enemies close in from every side, John Dutton refuses to let his land slip away. After fighting numerous battles to defend his home, John faces the biggest threat of all: his adopted son, Jamie. Having always wanted to sell off parts of the land for an enormous profit, Jamie breaks away from the Duttons and plans to run for the office of Governor in Montana. Knowing that Jamie could use his executive powers to destroy the family, John steps into the race. Promising to be “the opposite of progress,” John becomes a controversial figure but still manages to get himself elected as the next Governor of Montana.
2023: Kayce and Beth Dutton Sell the Ranch to Thomas Rainwater
The Duttons Finally Leave Most of the Land Behind
John Dutton’s death sends ripples throughout the entire state of Montana, but nowhere more so than on his beloved ranch. John’s two surviving children, Kayce and Beth (Jamie having been disowned by this time), struggle with the overwhelming inheritance tax left in the wake of John’s murder. Beth spends months trying to find ways to keep the ranch afloat without “selling an inch,” as her father always said. However, it becomes increasingly clear that they won’t be able to last much longer without a major influx of money. Meanwhile, Kayce spends his time viciously hunting his father’s killers, eventually determining that it was Sarah Atwood and Jamie who put a hit out on him. LKayce’s investigation leads the mercenaries who killed John to also kill Sarah, the only person who could directly tie them to the murder. Beth later murders Jamie in his own home, fulfilling her promise that her face would be the last thing he ever sees.
Finally, Kayce and Beth determine that there is no way to honor their promise to never sell the ranch their family had fought so hard to keep. Believing that the ranch has actually done more harm to them than good, the remaining Duttons resolve to at least save the land from the developers who would defile its natural beauty. They choose to sell the land to Thomas Rainwater and the Broken Rock Reservation, thereby protecting it under the law. In so doing, they ensure that no one will ever be able to develop “even an inch” of the land, even if it means that the Duttons can no longer own it. Kayce and his family hold on to one small tract of land, East Camp, where they start a new (and much smaller) cattle operation. Meanwhile, Rip and Beth move on to a new ranch after disbanding the staff that previously worked on the Yellowstone. In the end, the Ranch returns to those who originally held it, long before the Duttons ever arrived in Montana.
