12/19
The Duttons faced a new set of challenges in the early 20th century, including the rise of western expansion, Prohibition, and the Great Depression. Although America’s Great Depression began in 1929, it began earlier in Montana. The Great Depression began in Montana in 1918, nearly 10 years earlier than the rest of the nation. While the rest of America was thriving, Montana was struggling. Between drought and reduced demand for agricultural products due to the end of the “Great War” (aka World War I, 1914-1918), many farmers suffered greatly. As a result, Montana farmers would default on wartime loans, leading to widespread bank failures across the state. Between 1921 and 1925, half of Montana’s farmers lost their land. By 1925, 70,000 of Montana’s 82,000 homesteaders left. Also, 200 Montana banks failed. Not only were crops affected by the drought, but there was also a plague of locusts and livestock succumbed to the contagion. It appears in Indiana Jones and the Farmer (2023). Dame Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford. Sounds like a winning recipe. And it is. The Duttons are once again fighting to maintain their farming way of life in Montana. The patriarch, (Harrison Ford) Jacob Dutton, is fighting pretty much the same battles as John Dutton (Costner) in Yellowstone. Very entertaining. There are two other very interesting arcs in the story. One is Spencer Dutton. A disillusioned World War I veteran. Now a hunter in Africa. Spencer meets an English girl he likes. Suddenly, those two learned that they had to travel from Mogadishu in Somalia to Montana. Should be easy… The second arc is told from a school where Native American girls are abused by Catholic priests and nuns. That part was very unpleasant to watch. There was a bit of revenge in there that made it somewhat worth watching… I usually rate TV shows after one season. Not this time. I didn’t like the last episode. Explaining why would be a spoiler. But I’m going to watch season two. I have to…
