While audiences obsessed over Dutton whiskey decanters and glasses during 1923, an even bigger Yellowstone connection was right under our noses.
In a new feature on the celebrated prequel’s first season, Harrison Ford displays genuine “delight” in taking on the role of Jacob Dutton. His stalwart patriarch would see their Yellowstone Ranch into the 20th century, taking over after the death of his younger brother, James Dutton (1883‘s Tim McGraw) in the late 1800s.
Through both Yellowstone Origin Stories, audiences have also delighted in finding connections to modern day family members like John (Kevin Costner) and Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly). And one of the most powerful examples has now been confirmed.
From ‘1923’ to ‘Yellowstone’: John Dutton Inherits Jacob Dutton’s Rife
“Interesting fact!” Ian Roylance, 1923‘s prop master, begins in the new feature. “Harrison Ford is actually using the duplicate of of the gun that John Dutton uses in Yellowstone.”
And there it is, folks, confirmed with the loud ring of a rifle. As Roylance notes, the classic firearm Jacob Dutton uses in 1923 is passed down and inherited by Kevin Costner’s John Dutton.
Specifically, this is a Winchester Model 1894 rifle. We see John put it to use while scaring away unruly tourists from a grizzly bear (on his property, mind you) in Yellowstone Season 1, Episode 7, among other appearances.
“Every day, I learn something more about them,” Ford recalled of Yellowstone‘s Dutton family while filming the first season. “Because their traditions are so strong, that there’s always a connection to the past.”
And what a connection to give fans. It’s one eagle-eyed fans have picked up on before, but this is the first outright confirmation of purposeful canon.
“The Winchester 94 carbines carried by Jacob, John I, and Jack Dutton all appear to be the same model, possibly 1940s “flat band” carbines that share similar butt plates and front sights,” clarifies RIA expert Joe Engesser. “Though this style of Model 94 is anachronistic to the 1923 time period, the Winchester 94 was certainly one of the most popular guns of the era.”
Even more fascinating is the reason this gun became a Yellowstone legacy firearm in the first place. Hint: we have Kevin Costner’s own family heirloom to thank.
‘The Winchester .30-30 gun I use in the show was his. When I put it up to my cheek, my dad’s right there.’
“My dad was a fistfighting, single-minded tough guy coming out of the Dust Bowl in the Great Depression,” Costner began in an interview on the subject back in 2021. “He wanted a job and never let it be taken away from him.”
Amazingly, “The Winchester .30-30 gun I use in the show was his. When I put it up to my cheek, my dad’s right there. I know what it’s like to be a person that’s kind of a John Dutton. Minus the murder,” the Yellowstone icon laughed.
Similarly to Costner’s father, “Jacob has a lot of attachment to the land,” Janie Bryant, 1923‘s brilliant costume designer, adds in the new 1923 feature. “And so his palette is very dark. It’s gray, navy, it’s charcoal. And his hat, it is specifically the ‘Montana Peak.”
Truly, the clothes match the man. Catch the full feature below for more from Harrison Ford on his 1923 journey: