BOZEMAN, Mont. — The Taylor Fork Creek, a tributary of Montana’s famed Gallatin River south of Bozeman, rushes downstream from the steeply slanted high peaks of the Taylor Peaks to the west, wending through a high mountain and wildflower-studded meadow as the horse corrals for theyou can’t be certain they’re referring to America’s first national park. More often than not, they’re referring to one of television’s most popular series by the same name.
Some tourists come to Big Sky country looking for the “Yellowstone” lifestyle — cowboy hats, ranches and all — even if the drama isn’t real. And that means sometimes visitors show up with misconceptions about the state.Kelsey runs Nine Quarter Circle Ranch with her husband, Kameron, whose grandfather, Howard Kelsey, purchased it in 1946. The property, situated in an alpine meadow bordering Taylor Creek, was established as a dude ranch in 1912.
“It’s as beautiful as I thought it’d be,” said Anderson. “Why would anyone want to live anywhere else?” But Hillary points out that “Yellowstone” isn’t an accurate representation of ranching, which the show often depicts as the old Wild West with gun battles and assassination attempts.“They’re not showing the hard days when it’s below zero and the calves are frozen,” she said, adding, “but I think the show has been good for us. It shows how beautiful Montana is. And we hope to preserve that as stewards. That’s really important to us.”in Darby, Mont.
Like many residents across the state who have strong opinions about “Yellowstone,” St. Goddard says there’s a lot the show gets wrong. For example, the characters are too well-dressed.The fine suits also extended to Jamie Dutton and his political contemporaries in Helena, the state capital. As the tribal attorney general, St. Goddard was frequently in court in Helena. “I think it’s a requirement that you wear your great-grandpa’s suit. Every legislator wears brown and the suits aren’t tailored.