The “Yellowstone” universe, which includes the prequel series “1883” and “1923,” features several strong female characters who, tragically, died at a young age. Their deaths often serve as pivotal moments that shape the Dutton family’s history and their deep connection to the land.

Here are the most notable female characters who died young in the “Yellowstone” franchise:

• Elsa Dutton (1883): Died at 18 in 1883. Elsa’s death is arguably the most impactful in the entire saga, as her dying wish to her father, James Dutton, dictates where the family ultimately settles in Paradise Valley, Montana. She was shot with a poison arrow and succumbed to the infection.

   

• Mary Abel (1883): Died in 1883. Claire Dutton’s daughter and James Dutton’s niece. Mary Abel was killed in a gunfight after a group of men attacked their wagon train. Her death leads to her mother, Claire, taking her own life.

   

• Claire Dutton (1883): Died in her 40s in 1883. James Dutton’s sister. Consumed by grief after tragically losing her daughter, Mary Abel, Claire shoots herself by the side of the river.

   

• Margaret Dutton (1883): Died in her 40s in 1894. James Dutton’s wife and mother of Elsa, John, and Spencer.While she survived the journey west, she died relatively young in Montana after her husband’s death, leaving her children orphaned.

   

• Emma Dutton (1923): Died in her 40s in 1923. John Dutton Sr.’s wife and Jack Dutton’s mother. After her husband’s death, Emma tragically takes her own life, unable to live without him.

   

• Alexandra “Alex” Dutton (1923): Died at 24 in 1924. Spencer Dutton’s wife. Their love story was a highlight of “1923,” but it ended tragically when she died just a couple of days shy of her 24th birthday.

• Evelyn Dutton (Yellowstone): Died in her 30s or 40s in 1997. John Dutton’s wife and the mother of Beth, Kayce, Lee, and Jamie. She died in a horseback riding accident when her horse bucked her off, breaking her spine. This traumatic event, which young Beth witnessed and her mother blamed her for, profoundly shaped Beth’s character.

   

It’s worth noting that while Monica Dutton (Kayce’s wife in the main Yellowstone series) has had several near-death experiences and tragically lost an unborn child in Season 5, she has not died in the series.