Does Yellowstone's Broken Rock Reservation Exist In Real Life?

The Broken Rock Reservation tribe appears in all five seasons of "Yellowstone." Led by Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham), the Native Americans often butt heads with John Dutton (Kevin Costner) and his family, but their relationship grows stronger over time, culminating in a feel-good ending. The Broken Rock Reservation also shows up in the "Marshals" spin-off, but can "Yellowstone" fans visit it in real life?

The short answer is, no. The Broken Rock Reservation was created for "Yellowstone," but was inspired by the Crow Indian Reservation in southeast Montana. The scenes set on the Rez were also shot there, and working with the Crow Indian Reservation tribe played a key part in informing the show's storytelling.

"At first, we assumed it was going to be a cowboy/Indian typical back-in-the-1800s type, so we were skeptical of [letting them use the reservation]," former Crown Tribe chair AJ Not Afraid told Variety. "But we said we would allow it as long as we had the chance to portray some of the Native facts, and they were all for it."

Taylor Sheridan believes Native American history is important to "Yellowstone." Be that as it may, opinions of the show's depiction of it have been mixed, with some critics arguing that the Native story is told from a white savior perspective. The Native American characters are also supporting players, for the most part, and Gil Birmingham would like to see them become more front and center.

At the time of this writing, Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" franchise contains five different shows — "Yellowstone," "1883," "1923," "Marshals," and "Dutton Ranch." It's the well that Sheridan and Paramount keep mining from, and there is probably enough scope to tell more stories in this universe. In fact, Gil Birmingham believes there is potential for an entire series centered around the Broken Rock Reservation.

"I would love it [a Broken Rock spin-off]," Birmingham told Collider. "In all these interviews, Mo [Brings Plenty] and I have shared this throughout all the seasons, we've always been so thankful that we had each other to support each other ... There's a huge responsibility we both feel in terms of a realistic and authentic and honest portrayal."

The actor even proposed some ideas for the theoretical Broken Rock Reservation spin-off. The end of "Yellowstone" sees Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) hand over his family's land to the tribe, and Birmingham believes his character would use it to build homes, schools, and hospitals. Still, if this franchise has taught us anything, it's that everyone wants this land. As such, Rainwater and his people would probably find themselves at the center of some pretty intense storylines — as they have on "Marshals."