
Yellowstone is about generations of the Dutton family protecting the largest ranch in the United States, a swath of land in Montana the size of Rhode Island. Founded in 1883 by James (Tim McGraw) and Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill), the Yellowstone Dutton ranch remained in the family until it was returned to the Native Americans at the end of Yellowstone season 5.
1883 depicted the epic saga of how the Duttons arrived in Montana, and 1923 picked up the story of the Duttons defending their ranch from millionaire poacher Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton). Yellowstone saw the extreme measures John Dutton III (Kevin Costner) used to keep his ranch in the present day before his death midway through Yellowstone season 5.
As brave and resourceful (and occasionally lacking scruples) as the male Duttons who led the Yellowstone ranch are, however, their wives are usually smarter and more adaptable. Unfortunately, the Dutton men have been tragically unlucky in their marriages, except for the one Dutton who broke that mold.
Harrison Ford’s Jacob Is The Only Dutton Male Whose Marriage Lasted
In 1923, Jacob and Cara are in their seventies and have been running the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch for 30 years. Jacob survived multiple gunshot wounds in 1923 season 1, with Cara taking over his responsibilities during Jacob’s recuperation.
Surprisingly, Jacob and Cara both survived the violent war with Donald Whitfield in 1923 season 2. Instead, tragedy struck both of their male nephews, Spencer Dutton (Brandon Skelnar) and Jack Dutton (Darren Mann).
At the end of 1923 season 2, Jacob and Cara were still together, choosing to retire as Spencer assumed full control of running the ranch. It’s not clear how long Jacob and Cara live, but their marriage is a happy one despite its many challenges.
Jacob and Cara Dutton are the longest-lasting marriage in the Yellowstone saga, accomplishing a feat that has eluded every other male member of the Dutton family line that we know of.
Every Other Dutton Male In Yellowstone’s Marriage Ended In Tragedy
Dutton marriages tend not to last in Yellowstone, although a few lasted happy years before violence and tragedy struck. James and Margaret Dutton were married for about 30 years by the time James died from a gunshot wound in 1893, and Margaret froze to death not long after.
The reverse tragedy happened to Elizabeth Strafford (Michelle Randolph) in 1923 season 2. Not long after marrying Jack Dutton, he foolishly gets himself killed by Donald Whitfield’s loyalists. The pregnant Elizabeth left Montana and her sad memories behind.
In Yellowstone, John Dutton III constantly laments his late wife, Evelyn (Gretchen Mol), who died in an accident in 1997 that was blamed on their daughter, Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly). Yellowstone takes place over two decades after Evelyn’s death, and it’s a wound that never healed for John.
There is another Dutton male whose marriage details are unrevealed: John Dutton II (Dabney Coleman) lived to age 90, but no info is known about who his wife, the mother of John Dutton III, was, how long she lived, or how long she and John II were married.
Kayce Dutton’s Marriage Is A Big Yellowstone Spinoff Question
In Yellowstone, the only one of John Dutton’s three sons who married and had a child was the youngest, Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes). Kayce married Monica Long (Kelsey Asbille), a Native American, and they have a son, Tate (Brecken Merrill).
However, Kelsey Asbille hasn’t been announced as part of the cast of Y: Marshals, the upcoming CBS spinoff about Kayce Dutton. Although Becken Merrill will return as Tate, it’s unknown whether Kelsey Asbille will reprise Monica, or why not if she isn’t.
Y: Marshals could mean the end of Kayce Dutton’s marriage to Monica, which would clock their relationship somewhere around 20 years together. This would mean Kayce holds up the Dutton male tradition of marriage, especially if it’s revealed Monica has died.
Meanwhile, Beth Dutton and her husband, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), headline their own Yellowstone spinoff, The Dutton Ranch. Beth and Rip were sweethearts since they were teenagers, but they are relatively new to marriage.