Detour #349: Drive Like a Dutton in the Montana of Yellowstone, USA
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In Taylor' Sheridan’s Yellowstone the Dutton clan are forever driving their pickups (or a Bentley in Beth’s case) across the breathtaking Montana landscape. here’s how to follow them.
Yellowstone – and all its spinoff shows – must have done wonders for Montana tourism. The Big Sky state never looks anything other than beautiful, even when the storyline is at its most brutal.
This road trip through the show’s locations starts (spoiler alert) where John Dutton’s story ends: in the State Capitol of Helena. Here you’ll find the Governor’s Office which dates back to 1896, just over a decade after the Dutton family first arrived in Montana. Taking US 12 westwards is a gentle warm-up to what the state has in store, as flat pastureland gives way to gradually more mountainous terrain.
At Garrison you pick up the I-90. There was a time when Montana had no daytime speed limit, but drive at the posted 80mph and you’ll reach Missoula in less than two hours. Here you’ll find the Community Medical Center, which doubled for Bozeman General Hospital, along with the settings for Ruby’s Cafe on Regent Street, the real life Gray Wolf Casino (season five) , and the Missoula County Court House which was used for Summer’s trial in the season four finale. Missoula Montana airport also featured.
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Take 93 south through vast open plains to Hamilton where you’ll find the location of the Montana Livestock Commission office, and then rejoin the 93 which will lead you to Darby and Dutton Ranch. Actually it’s really called the Chief Joseph Ranch and has been a Montana landmark since 1883. There are cabins to rent if you want to sleep where the Duttons did.
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The road continues through the Bitterroot Mountains where many a spectacular scene was shot. Talking of shooting, the infamous Train Station, where the Duttons would dispose of troublemakers, is actually based on a real area called The Zone of Death. This 50 square mile part of Yellowstone Park includes parts of Freemont County, Idaho, and Gallatin and Park Counties in Montana. With a conflict between state and judicial district boundaries, it’s not possible to assemble a jury from residents of the same county and jurisdiction if a crime took place here, which is how the Duttons got away with murder.
The ride to the real train station location is long, taking MT 43 through a truly sparse landscape, then northwards on the 569 to Anaconda. Join the I-90 all the way to Belgrade and you can detour to explore the Zone of Death or head into Bozeman, where the Y-branded Dutton Ranch cowboys would head to let off steam. You’ll see Main Street in many scenes, although interiors were mostly shot elsewhere.
John Dutton’s reign over Yellowstone may have ended, but with shows such as Marshals, Dutton Ranch and the upcoming Yellowstone 1944 continuing the legacy there’ll be more locations and more reasons to visit Montana for many years to come.
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ROADBOOK
CLASS: TV tour
NAME: DRIVE LIKE A DUTTON
ROUTE: Missoula to Bozeman
COUNTRY: USA
Distance: 430 Miles
In Taylor' Sheridan’s Yellowstone the Dutton clan are forever driving across the breathtaking Montana landscape. Here’s how to follow them.