Hey, if you’re hooked on Yellowstone like I am, you’ve probably binged 1883 and 1923 too. These spin-offs aren’t just side stories—they’re packed with sneaky links that tie the Dutton family’s wild history together. From heirlooms passed down generations to rituals that echo across time, creator Taylor Sheridan loves dropping these Easter eggs. Let’s break down the coolest ones, no spoilers for newbies, just enough to make you rewind and spot them yourself.
The Dutton Family Tree: Blood Ties That Bind
At the heart of it all is the Dutton lineage. 1883 kicks off with James and Margaret Dutton trekking west, straight-up great-grandparents to Yellowstone‘s John Dutton. Their daughter Elsa dies young, but her spirit lingers—her grave’s the first in the family plot we see in the Yellowstone pilot. Fast-forward to 1923, where Jacob and Cara Dutton (James’s brother and wife) build the ranch empire. Spencer’s their son, likely John’s grandpa. Oh, and that Native American angle? Teonna in 1923 is a distant relative of Chief Rainwater from Yellowstone, showing how indigenous stories weave in too.
Heirlooms That Carry the Past
Nothing screams connection like a family knife. In 1883, Elsa wins a Comanche blade from her love Sam after a horse race. She never meets her baby brother Spencer, but boom—in 1923, he’s got that exact knife strapped to his belt while hunting in Africa. It’s a quiet nod to lost siblings and unbreakable bonds. And horses? They’re everywhere. Kayce taming a wild one in a river in Yellowstone? Straight from a Comanche trick James learns in 1883.
Rituals Rooted in the Land
The Duttons don’t just ranch—they ritualize it. That “blooding” ceremony, where John smears deer blood on young Tate’s face after a hunt? James does the same with his son in 1883, teaching balance between man and beast. Graves get picked by a songbird landing just right—James for Elsa in 1883, John for his son Lee in Yellowstone Season 1. Even the big house vision: James promises Margaret a home “big enough to get lost in” in 1883. Cut to Monica wandering the massive Dutton lodge in Yellowstone—chills.
Echoes of War and Wild Hearts
War shapes these cowboys. James fought in the Civil War (1883), Spencer in World War I (1923), Kayce in Iraq (Yellowstone). All come home haunted, reluctant heirs dodging the ranch life until duty calls. Themes hit hard too: “The land is God,” Elsa says in 1883, echoing Beth’s words in Yellowstone about heaven and hell on the same soil. Outsiders threaten it all—from trains in 1883 to developers in Yellowstone.