1923 season 2 has a secret reference to the Dutton family from Taylor Sheridan’s previous Yellowstone prequel, 1883. Before 1923 season 1, Yellowstone’s co-creator detailed the events of the Dutton family’s arrival in Paradise Valley, Montana. The Duttons arrived in the American West by means of the Oregon Trail. 1883’s epic story witnesses James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill) traversing a Northwest variant of the trail from Texas to Montana. Their children, Elsa (Isabel May) and John Dutton (Audie Rick), also make the journey.
1923 season 1 picks up forty years after 1883’s ending. James and Margaret’s son from 1883, John, is now a grown man with his own family, played by James Badge Dale. John has a son named Jack (Darren Mann). The Depression-era offshoot also focuses on Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar), Margaret’s youngest child, who wasn’t born in 1883 but was introduced in Yellowstone flashbacks. Many elements of Taylor Sheridan’s prequels are interlaced, but you may have missed this reference to 1883 in the 1923 season 2 premiere because it was so understated.
Jack Drives The 1883 Duttons’ Green Wagon In 1923 Season 2, Episode 1
Jack And Jacob Dutton Go To Town In “The Killing Season”
In 1923 season 2, episode 1, “The Killing Season,” Jack and Jacob Dutton ride into town to attend a trial for Zane Davis (Brian Geraghty). Unfortunately, Zane’s marriage to his wife, Alice (Joy Osmanski), will be scrutinized in court. While it makes sense for Jack and Jacob to venture out to support their foreman, they probably wouldn’t have made the journey in normal circumstances. A blizzard is impending, and Cara says the road to Bozeman is passable only by horseback in her letter to Spencer. However, while Jacob saddles up a horse for the journey, Jack drives a green wagon.
The wagon is the same one that Jack’s grandparents, James and Margaret Dutton, drove from Texas to Montana in 1883. It is the same one Jack’s father, John Dutton, rode along the Oregon Trail when he was just five. The wagon protected the pioneer Dutton family from the crossfire of bandits and thieves along the trail and forged the Brazos River in Texas. Yellowstone fans can be sure the wagon is the same one that Margaret drove in 1883, as it is the same size and shape despite missing the hemp sail that gives it the traditional covered wagon look.
The 1883 Dutton Family’s Green Oregon Trail Wagon Explained
The Green Wagon Is A Dutton Lifeline
Like other Americans facing the turn of the 19th century, Jack’s grandfather, James Dutton, dreamed of a better life. After the Civil War, Americans made westward journeys in covered wagons to claim what had been Indigenous land in the American territories. In 1883, James and his family joined a wagon train of emigrants led by Thomas (LaMonica Garrett) and Shea Brennan (Sam Elliot). While James and Margaret were scrappier and more prepared than most European settlers who comprised their party, the Dutton family experienced unfortunate events throughout their journey, all faced in their green wagon.
The covered wagon was essential to the Dutton family, as it was their means of survival along the Oregon Trail. Except for a few Army forts that sparsely lined the road West, there was little infrastructure to rely on. Instead, the Dutton family had to carry their supplies with them. Therefore, the Dutton family’s green heirloom wagon that Jack drove in 1923 was vital to his family’s life in Montana. It was his ancestors’ means of claiming such a large plot of land just as a groundbreaking section of the transcontinental railway was completed, making the territories more accessible.
What The Green Oregon Trail Wagon Means In 1923 Season 2
1923 Season 2 Is Off To A Grave Start
The reference to 1883 reflects the overall tone of 1923 season 2’s start. 1883 had grave undercurrents due to the harrowing nature of the Duttons’ journey, including Elsa’s 1883 death, which was a result of, ultimately, the westward expansion that displaced Native American communities, causing conflict for all involved. The covered wagon is a heartbreaking symbol that encapsulates the 1923 season 2 premiere’s themes, which are desolate and ominous yet hopeful, like its successor’s. While it’s also a utility, the wagon returning to the premiere symbolizes the family’s first struggle as they fight to keep the ranch.
The reappearance of the heirloom confirms the Dutton family is in for a hard winter.
The reappearance of the heirloom confirms the Dutton family is in for a hard winter. Cara’s remark about snow covering the road to Bozeman explains why Jack takes what is undoubtedly the family’s sturdiest wagon. The reference to 1883, paired with the “killing season” title and overall tone of struggle, makes for an ominous start to season 2. The green wagon appeared only once in the Yellowstone franchise outside 1883 and the 1923 premiere, when the family struggled to keep the ranch in Yellowstone season 5. Therefore, the wagon appearing again in the prequel could signify something daunting.