TV SERIES · 2021–2022 · USA
1883
- Created by
- Taylor Sheridan
- Network
- Paramount+
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 10
- Studio
- 101 Studios, Linson Entertainment, Bosque Ranch Productions
40 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Follow the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. A stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land — Montana.
40 Interesting Facts About 1883
Interesting Facts (6)
- #001
Kevin Costner hosted a four part documentary on the founding of the Yellowstone Park called "Yellowstone: One-Fifty (2022)", as in the 150 years that has passed since its creation. The film provides the historical context of the Ferdinand V. Hayden expedition, and the transformation of the journey from a survey of the region's resources to a crusade to protect the region from commercialization. What caught the imagination of Congress to preserve the area as a park for future generations were the photos and paintings of Photographer William Henry Jackson and Artist Thomas Moran respectively.
- #002
- #003
On April 9th, 1865, General Robert E. Lee) surrendered to General Ulysses S Grant) in the home of Wilmer McLean in the village of Appomattox, marking the end of the American Civil War. April 9th, 1883 is the current date as stated in River (2021) and the seventeenth birthday of Elsa Dutton.
- #004
- #005
Near the end of the final episode, Elsa lies in her father's arms and watches a bird. The bird is a Eurasian Collared Dove, native to Eastern Europe and Asia. They did not find their way to North America until after 1974, when about 50 birds escaped in Nassau, Bahamas, and flew to Florida. They are very prolific and are found in most states today.
- #006
Production Story (9)
- #007
The significance of the year 1883: On March 1 of the year 1872, President Ulysses S Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, and was passed by Congress in the winter of the same year, which officially cemented Yellowstone as the world's first national park. Eleven years later, in 1883, construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad (funded by primary investor and Philadelphia Financier Jay Gould) reached the north boundary of Yellowstone National Park.
- #008
The 'White Elephant' bar in Fort Worth is mentioned; it is still standing. 'Long-Haired Jim' Courtright, played by Billy Bob Thornton, was killed in a gunfight in front of the White Elephant Saloon in 1887. Every year on the anniversary of his death, this shootout is reenacted on Exchange Street in the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards. Courtright had become Fort Worth's first elected sheriff in 1876, and in 1883 he was serving as a Deputy U.S. Marshal. In Hell's Half-Acre (old Fort Worth's red-light district) he is said to have kept order as well as working as a hired gunman, a collector of tribute and a private detective. Thornton's key scene in the series takes place in the White Elephant Saloon, which stood in Hell's Half-Acre at the time. Courtright lost his life on February 8, 1887, in a shootout with the gambler Luke Short in front of the saloon; hundreds of Fort Worth residents attended his funeral. Luke Short died in 1893, and both lie in Oakwood Cemetery in Fort Worth.
- #009
Sam Elliott's character tells the immigrants they are stupid for using oxen instead of horses. In reality, however, most pioneers, unlike in western films, pulled their wagons with oxen rather than horses when migrating west. Although oxen are slower, they are better suited to the journey; they are stronger, endure hardships, are not picky about food, walk with a steadier gait, pull loaded wagons up mountains better, are not easily spooked and adapt better to farm life on arrival. The transition from oxen to horses in agriculture came about with the Industrial Revolution and the mechanization of farming thanks to John Deere and Cyrus McCormack's reaper. While it took 25 days for a team of oxen to plow a plot of land, with horses this time dropped to 16 days.
- #010
The significance of the year 1883: On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, and in the winter of that same year it passed Congress, making Yellowstone the world's first national park. Eleven years later, in 1883, the Northern Pacific Railway, built with the investment of Philadelphia financier Jay Gould, reached the northern border of Yellowstone National Park. The name Yellowstone refers to the yellowish sulfur deposits found in and around the park due to geyser activity.
- #011
Captain Shea Brennan and Sergeant Thomas wear Pinkerton Detective Agency badges. Pinkerton is a private security and detective company founded in 1850 and still in existence today as Pinkerton Security. In 1871, because there were not enough federal sheriffs, the U.S. government delegated law enforcement authority in some regions to Pinkerton; agents were tasked with enforcing federal laws and providing private security for wagon trains heading west. By 1883, Pinkerton was the world's largest private government contractor; in the 1890s the government began using Pinkerton agents against labor organizations, and they became notorious as strikebreakers. Pinkerton agents infiltrated unions and broke up strikes through threats and intimidation.
- #012
- #013
Near the end of the final episode, Elsa watches a bird as she lies in her father's arms. This bird is the Eurasian collared dove, whose native habitat is Eastern Europe and Asia. They only came to North America after 1974, when about 50 birds escaped in Nassau in the Bahamas and reached Florida. A highly prolific species, it is now seen in most states.
- #014
Kevin Costner presented the four-part documentary 'Yellowstone: One-Fifty (2022)', which recounts the founding of Yellowstone Park; the 150 in the title symbolizes the years since the park's establishment. The documentary addresses the historical context of Ferdinand V. Hayden's expedition and that journey's transformation from exploring the region's resources to the struggle to protect the region from commercialization. It was photographer William Henry Jackson's photographs and painter Thomas Moran's paintings that fired Congress's imagination to preserve the region as a park for future generations.
- #015
Behind the Scenes (5)
- #016
The Tarrant County Courthouse can be seen in the background of several scenes in Fort Worth. The courthouse, visible in the background, is an accurate representation of the one that existed in 1883. (The current courthouse was built ten years later. It is probably best known (outside of north Texas) as the "Dallas" office of the Texas Rangers in the Chuck Norris driven series "Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)".)
- #017
It is apparent that Isabel May (Elsa) was trained in the English version of riding rather that the Western version by the way she rides in the saddle.
1883 (2021): Isabel May sits at a table in formal attireImage: Wikimedia Commons · Pacheco, Joaquim José Insley (1830-1912), Public domain - #018
Filming on the series started in August 2021 in Texas and concluded in Montana in January 2022. Scenes that took place in urban centers were filmed in Dallas, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas and Granbury, Texas. Also, a new, permanent, Western town with 26 structures was built at the Yellowstone Film Ranch. Rural scenes were filmed at a variety of locations, primarily in Texas. The Dutton Ranch scenes were filmed at the real Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana; the massive home is also used for the series "Yellowstone."
- #019
- #020
Filming for the series began in Texas in August 2021 and ended in Montana in January 2022. While the city scenes were shot in Dallas, Fort Worth and Granbury, a permanent Western town with 26 structures was built at the Yellowstone Film Ranch. The rural scenes were filmed mainly in Texas, while the Dutton Ranch scenes were shot at the real Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana, which is also used in the series 'Yellowstone'.
Characters & Cast (6)
- #021
Captain Shea Brennan and Sergeant Thomas both wear Pinkerton Detective Agency badges. Pinkerton is a private security guard and detective agency founded in 1850, it still exists to this day in the form of Pinkerton Security. In 1871 the US government contracted law enforcement in certain territories to Pinkerton as they did not have sufficient US Marshalls, Pinkerton agents were tasked with enforcing federal law in the territories and Indian Nation, they sometimes were also hired as private security for wagon trains heading west. As of 1883 Pinkerton was the largest private government contractor in the world, in the 1890's the government began using Pinkerton agents against organized labor groups, Pinkerton agents quickly became known as strike breakers and by the early 20th century were not well liked by the general public. Pinkerton agents would infiltrate unions and use threats and intimidation to break up strikes.
- #022
Contains a major spoiler — show
Billy Bob Thornton played Timothy Isaiah "Longhair Jim" Courtright, who was, in 1876, the first elected Marshall of Fort Worth, Texas, and by 1883 was a U.S. Deputy Marshall. In addition to "keeping the peace" in Hell's Half-Acre (the red-light district of old Fort Worth), Courtright is said to have engaged in gunfighting (for hire), racketeering, and private investigation. Thornton's pivotal scene in 1883 takes place in the White Elephant Saloon, located at the time in Hell's Half-Acre. (Today, The White Elephant is in the Historic FW Stockyards.) On February 8, 1887, Courtright was killed in a shootout with gambler and gunfighter Luke Short, in front of the White Elephant Saloon. Courtright's funeral was attended by hundreds of Fort Worth residents. Luke Short died in 1893. Both men are buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Fort Worth.
- #023
Tom Hanks plays General George Meade in a flashback scene about the Civil War. Meade was a commander known for defeating Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Antietam, which took place on September 17, 1862, went down in history as one of the bloodiest clashes in American history. Although Hanks is not credited in the opening titles, he appears as Union General Meade comforting a wounded Confederate captain, with the Dunker Church, where the battle took place, visible in the background.
- #024
James Jordan and Taylor Sheridan are names who appear in both 1883 and Yellowstone. Jordan plays an Animal Control Officer in Yellowstone and the character "Cook" in 1883. Sheridan, meanwhile, appears before viewers as Travis Wheatley in Yellowstone and Charles Goodnight in 1883. Moreover, Sheridan is the creator and writer of both series.
- #025
- #026
Easter Eggs & References (6)
- #027
- #028
- #029
Contains a major spoiler — show
Near the end of the final episode where Elsa is laying in her fathers lap watching a bird. The bird is a Eurasian Collared Dove. They are native to Eastern Europe and Asia. They did not find their way to North America until after 1974 when approximately 50 birds escaped in Nassau, Bahamas and made their way to Florida. They are very prolific and are found in most states today.
- #030
Contains a major spoiler — show
Billy Bob Thornton's character, "Longhair Jim" Courtright, was actually killed in a gunfight in front of the White Elephant Saloon in 1887. Each year, on the anniversary, the gunfight is reenacted on Exchange Street in front of the present-day White Elephant Saloon, in the Historic Fort Worth Stockyards.
- #031
The Tarrant County Courthouse can be seen in the background of several scenes in Fort Worth. The courthouse visible in the background is an exact representation of the courthouse that existed in 1883. (The current courthouse was built ten years later. It is probably best known, outside North Texas, as the "Dallas" office of the Texas Rangers in the series "Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)" starring Chuck Norris.)
- #032
Deeper Meaning (6)
- #033
The Sam Elliott character tells the immigrants they are fools for having oxen for their train rather than horses. The truth is that most pioneers used oxen rather than horses for pulling their wagons west, unlike the depiction in most westerns. Oxen are slower but better suited for such a trip because they are stronger, able to endure under duress, are less picky eaters, are more sure-footed, can better pull fully loaded wagons up mountains, are less easily spooked, and, upon arrival at a destination, would be better suited to farm life.
- #034
- #035
Kevin Costner hosted a four-part documentary titled "Yellowstone: One-Fifty (2022)" about the park's founding, 150 years after its establishment. The film presents the historical context of Ferdinand V. Hayden's expedition and the journey's transformation from exploration of the region's resources into a crusade to protect the region from commercialization. It was the photographs and paintings of photographer William Henry Jackson and artist Thomas Moran, respectively, that captured Congress's imagination to preserve the region as a park for future generations.
- #036
- #037
Toward the end of the final episode, Elsa, lying in her father's arms, watches a bird. This bird is the Eurasian collared dove, whose native habitat is Eastern Europe and Asia. They only came to North America after 1974, when about 50 birds escaped in Nassau in the Bahamas and reached Florida. This highly prolific species is now seen in most states.
- #038
Career & Awards (1)
Life & Family (1)
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work