'Yellowstone': Peek Inside the Real-Life Dutton Ranch

The sets of Yellowstone look so real because they are. The Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana plays the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch on the Paramount Network show. The ranch is owned by Shane Libel, who was joined by Yellowstone set decorator Carla Curry in a tour of the home Paramount released before Season 4 began. Kevin Costner's John Dutton and his family live in the 5,000-square-foot log mansion built on the ranch in 1917 for glass tycoon William Ford.

In the short behind-the-scenes feature, Libel explained that his family treads a tight rope between keeping the ranch authentic to its original atmosphere while keeping it up to date to modern standards for their guests. "I can make a list a mile long of things we've improved, but we have a responsibility," Libel said. "I mean, we live here, we own this... but we really don't own it because we're just here until the next person that we hand it off to [comes along]."

Curry noted how the mansion has become a character on the show. Most of what fans see in the mansion were there long before Yellowstone began filming. Even the lights are originally Tiffany lights from the early 1900s. "These are things that are intrinsically correct for this period of time and we're just thrilled to death to have [them] in our realm of [the] Dutton world," Curry said. "It just couldn't be more spot-on." The set has a real mix of new furniture alongside older Dutton family heirlooms. The production leaves the furniture there year-round for Libel's family to continue using.

In a 2018 interview with Page Six, location manager Mark Jarrett said the Yellowstone production signed a deal to use the ranch for five seasons. "The deal that we made for the property was a monthly hold with daily fees attached," Jarrett explained. "There would be a daily fee for construction on the property. If we were filming there would be another fee. If it had been any other family, I don't know if the deal would have happened, with Hollywood standing on your doorstep. I can't say enough about the Libels."

One of the challenges of using a real home for the production though is trying to film while not damaging the historic mansion. Cameras and lights require plenty of cables, which all had to be wrapped in blankets around the timbers, Harrett explained. "They used standard lights on stands on the floor. There were rubber mats on the floor to protect the wood. People put booties over their construction boots if it was raining. We had limited access inside the house," he said. "The crew was very receptive. They understood the entire ranch was a 'hot' set. You couldn't even drive into the grass."

Yellowstone is now in its fourth season, with new episodes airing Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on the Paramount Network. The first three seasons are available to stream on Peacock. Co-creator Taylor Sheridan's prequel series 1883 debuts on Paramount+ on Dec. 19.