by Travis Mateer

If you have seen the fourth season of Yellowstone, you’ll know there’s a side-story that sends Jimmy down to a mythical Texas ranch, the Four Sixes, like it’s some kind of gritty cowboy version of Shangri-La.

After doing my latest round of on-the-ground reporting on the show’s Missoula presence, I stumbled across a big piece of the puzzle that puts Yellowstone–and one of its creators, Taylor Sheridan–in the position of being a mini-Ted Turner.

From the link (emphasis mine):

The legendary Four Sixes Ranch, part of the late Anne Marion’s estate, has been sold, several sources confirmed Jan 22.

Sam Middleton, owner, broker and appraiser for Chas. S Middleton and Son Farm-Ranch Sales, and Neils Agather, Burnett Foundation executive, confirmed the sale occurred on Friday, Jan. 21, but said that was all they could say at this time.

Sources did confirm that the sale was made to a group led by screenwriter/producer Taylor Sheridan, who grew up in Texas and graduated from R.L. Paschal High School in Fort Worth. Sheridan is a co-creator and producer on the popular Paramount Network television series “Yellowstone” and a spin-off series, “1883”. Much of “1883” was filmed in Fort Worth. The success of “Yellowstone” has caused interest in a second, related series from Sheridan based on the 6666 Ranch.

The Legendary Four Sixes Ranch, along with the Dixon Creek Ranch Div. & the Frisco Creek Ranch Div. sold for the first time in its history. The historic ranch was established in 1870 and now spans 266,255-plus acres in West Texas.  

That is a BIG chunk of property, and puts my thinking of what the little people on the ground in Missoula are experiencing in a new light.

One example I reference in the video you’ll find at the bottom of this post is the barista who definitely appreciated the business, but wouldn’t have minded a heads up that she would be making over 90 smoothies. This kind young woman was by herself, so she showed up AGAIN yesterday, even though she had the day off, so her co-worker wouldn’t have to get swamped like she did.

Both days supplies at this particular local business were wiped out, which isn’t a terrible problem to have if you’re that business. Kudos to the business owner who showed up and worked alongside their staff during a mad rush of activity.

Another piece of the financial perspective is who gets compensated for what, and how much. For example, a personal residence of an individual who works at one of Denny Washington’s companies is supposedly getting compensated $2,000 a day for the use of his domestic space. I sent him a message on Facebook to confirm this, but haven’t heard back.

Another location that warrants compensation is the space where the law firm Boone Karlberg resides. I was told by the production location assistant that the lawyers didn’t want to take money at first, but when told they could donated it to a non-profit, they agreed. I wonder which one in Missoula they’ll pick?

Another aspect of what the show Yellowstone can do, which is definitely difficult to quantify, is confer a sort of un-earned credibility by the mere inclusion of a cameo. Is that what Lowell Hochhalter is trying to do?

Yep, according to this Facebook post by Kevin Schumacher, the head of the LifeGuard Group AND the chaplain for the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, Lowell Hochhalter, is going to have a cameo appearance with the character Beth Dutton, the ruthless progeny of Costner’s patriarch character. That makes total sense.

To peruse the MANY posts I’ve written about the LifeGuard Group, click here. And here is the video:

Thanks for reading and watching!