Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) leave their burned-out Montana homestead behind. Fans are now asking where this new chapter was actually filmed.
The series is set in the fictional South Texas town of Rio Paloma, but Dutton Ranch was filmed entirely across real locations in North Texas. Under the production code name “Rio Palo,” the show set up its primary filming base in Ferris, Texas. Additional filming took place in Fort Worth, Dallas, Mineral Wells, Weatherford, and several other towns across the region.
Why the Show Left Montana
The move from Montana to Texas is a big reset for the franchise. In the story, a wildfire destroys the family’s Montana homestead. Rip, Beth, and their adopted son Carter (Finn Little) pack up and head south to start over in the Texas heat.
This shift changes the show’s look completely. Dutton Ranch replaces the green valleys and snowy peaks of the Northwest with the dry prairies, sunbaked highways, and dusty land of North Texas.
The move also made practical sense for Sheridan. By bringing production to Texas, he consolidated his TV empire closer to home. He has used similar setups for his other shows like Landman and Lioness.
Executive producer David Glasser explained the decision: “It just made sense to try something new. And if we were going to do the fish out of water somewhere, there was no better place than Texas”. He added that Texas is “cowboy country in a different way” compared to Montana.
Ferris, Texas: The Heart of Rio Paloma
The dusty, historic town that serves as the show’s central hub, Rio Paloma, is actually the real town of Ferris, Texas. Located about 20 miles south of Dallas in Ellis County, this quiet community has been the backbone of the production.
Local storefronts and historic brick buildings were turned into a South Texas border town by the production team. Residents spotted camera rigs and production trucks shutting down roads during filming blocks.
Ferris city manager Brooks Williams told the Star-Telegram that when Sheridan’s production company first reached out in August 2025, they had no idea it would be a show about Beth and Rip. “We absolutely thought it would bring some name recognition, some notoriety to the city,” Williams said. “We are a town that has been sleepy and small, but we are a town that is absolutely growing, and we have a lot to offer”.
The production filmed all of its Ferris scenes on the Wallace property, a 5,200-acre spread formerly owned by the late W. Ray Wallace, CEO of Trinity Industries. Williams called working with the show “one of the easiest and most pleasant experiences”.
Other Key Texas Locations
The production team spread out across North Texas to build the show’s world. Here are some of the other places where Dutton Ranch was filmed.
Weatherford. The Saunders Ranch in Weatherford (4400 Old Dennis Road) stands in for Beth and Rip’s home in the series. The ranch was established in 1934 and is still operating today. Sheridan also owns the Bosque Ranch in Weatherford.
Fort Worth. The city shows up throughout the series. E.M. Daggett Middle School was turned into “Rio Paloma High School” for Carter’s school scenes. The Fort Worth Stockyards also appear in the show.
Mineral Wells. A Tommy’s gas station at 4766 Farm-to-Market Road 1195 was used for a tense road stop scene with Rip and Azul.
Boyd. An actual feed store at 205 Dunlap Ave. appears in the show.
Rio Vista. The Split Heart Bar scenes were filmed at Roughnecks Bar and Grill, a real bar in town.
Cleburne and Dallas. The production also used these cities for driving sequences, small-town exteriors, and city shots.
A Quick Note on the Pilot Episode
Some scenes from the pilot episode were actually filmed in Montana. Director Christina Alexandra Voros told TV Insider that those scenes were shot in Montana “up until the fire”. Everything after that was filmed in Texas.
Voros also noted the visual difference between the two states. “The light in Texas is so different from the light in Montana,” she said. “There is a harshness to it and a warmth to it. You don’t get the blue mountaintops and the green valleys. It’s a very rich, saturated, hot environment”.
Planning a Road Trip
For fans who want to see these locations in person, the show’s filming sites are spread across North Texas. You could fly into Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, head south to Ferris to see the historic downtown, drive west to the Fort Worth Stockyards, and finish in Weatherford or Mineral Wells to take in the open countryside.
The shift to Texas gives Yellowstone fans a whole new region of cowboy culture and ranch history to explore.
Have you spotted any familiar Texas landmarks while watching Season 1? Drop your filming location sightings in the comments below.
