When Taylor Sheridan’s brainchild- Yellowstone first premiered, no one could have guessed that the neo-western show would spawn an ardent following and several spinoffs, with 1883 being one.
The show, set 135 years before Yellowstone, premiered to a lot of hype and immediately got viewer attention with its novelty premise. It showed the journey of the Dutton family and how they came to own the land in Montana, which would ultimately become the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch.
The series is centered on Tim McGraw’s James Dillard Dutton, Faith Hill’s Margaret, Isabel May’s Elsa, and Sam Elliott’s Shea. The show is now over. So what happened in the end? Where did the Duttons end up at the end of their long journey to the American West? Who survived, and who died?
At the end of 1883, Elsa dies in James’s arms due to the untreated and worsening arrow wound. Before dying, she chooses a spot in Paradise Valley to be buried. It is there that James and Margaret also build their Yellowstone Dutton ranch. So the finale showed the ranch’s foundation and the tradition of the Duttons getting buried in Paradise Valley.
What Did the Ending of 1883 Mean?
At the end of 1883, viewers saw Josef’s wife die due to her head injury. His leg also had to be amputated due to a snake bite. But he finally decided to move on from the tragic death of his spouse by removing his wedding ring and deciding to rebuild his home.
Gratiela Brancusi’s Noemi and LaMonica Garrett’s Thomas also found a place in Oregon where they could settle. These are the happier endings of the show. The grim ones are heart-wrenching. When Shea finally fulfilled his quest and reached the beach, he took his own life.
The hummingbird that hovered close to him represented the soul of his wife, Helen, who died of smallpox in the first episode of 1883, and it reassured him that she was there with him at that moment.
Perhaps the most tragic death is of the series narrator and James and Margaret’s daughter Elsa. She died of an arrow wound that never healed. She was caught in the crossfire between the white settlers and the Lakota warriors.
Before dying, she picked a valley called Paradise as her final resting spot, and it was there that James and Margaret decided to build their Yellowstone ranch, where it will be standing even in the 21st century.
So the series showed the formation of the Yellowstone ranch, and with Elsa’s death, it’s time for the family to head into the next chapter of their lives, which the show 1923 will explore. James and Margaret won’t be a part of it since James dies of a gunshot wound, and Margaret dies shortly after due to freezing.
Is Elsa Alive at the End of 1883?
No, Elsa isn’t alive at the end of 1883. Elsa, the narrator of the show, and James and Margaret’s daughter decided to be buried in a valley called Paradise, and the Duttons made it the site where they built their homestead.
She was the heart and soul of the show, and her death signaled the end of the first chapter of the family. Elsa died from a grievous injury that stemmed from a misunderstanding between a band of Lakota warriors and the white settlers.
Since James and Margaret decided to settle wherever Elsa chose to be buried, it is her death that foreshadowed the tensions between the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch and the Indigenous American communities in the present time.
Is Elsa’s Grave in Yellowstone?
Yes, Elsa’s grave is in Yellowstone. Elsa chose a valley called Paradise to be buried in when she died. James and Margaret built their Yellowstone homestead on that land, which would remain there for a hundred and fifty years.
So the Yellowstone ranch is set on the land where Elsa died. She is always present in Yellowstone in one way. In the series, viewers see the gravestones of Margaret, Elsa, and James Dutton when Summer finds them.
Where Do the Duttons End Up in 1883?
The end of 1883 is bittersweet for the Duttons. Elsa Dutton slowly succumbs to her arrow wound as they approach Montana. When the band runs into a group of Crow Native Americans, they try to help heal her but find she doesn’t have much time left.
Spotted Eagle, a Crow elder, shows James the direction of the Paradise Valley when the Dutton patriarch tells him that they will need a place to bury Elsa and settle down. The tribe elder warns James that they will take it back from his family in seven generations.
Elsa and James split from the group because she wanted to choose the spot to be buried. He took her to Paradise Valley on horses because he knew that on the wagon, they would never reach the place before she died.
Elsa died while James held her in his arms. They built the largest cattle ranch in the USA- the Yellowstone Dutton ranch on that land. Also, Elsa’s death began the tradition of burying Duttons on the Montana land, and in the present time, John Dutton isn’t ready to give that up. It will be interesting to see what happens next in Yellowstone.
1883 is streaming on Paramount+.
What are your thoughts about the finale of 1883?
How do you think it will translate into present-day Yellowstone? Did you like the ending of Elsa’s death? Will the Spotted Eagle’s warning about his seventh generation rising up to take the land from the Duttons come true?
Let us know in the comments.
1 Comment
How did they get to Montana so fast and how did the bloodline continue?