Where Was 1923 Filmed? Filming Locations Revealed

Following the major success of the Yellowstone series, following a family of ranchers in Montana in the early 20th century, Paramount+ went all in and produced two more awesome shows in the franchise. A single-season show, 1883, was first, following a younger generation of the Duttons, and now, 1923 is hitting the platform as well. So, where was 1923 filmed?

1923 was mostly filmed in Butte, Montana, a beautiful historic town about 2-3 hours away from Darby, Montana (where the ranch from Yellowstone was filmed). Other filming locations in Montana include Whitehall, Pony, Anaconda, Valier, etc., while some scenes were even shot in other countries (Malta, Tanzania, etc.)

We usually don’t have that much info about all the filming locations of a show. However, a lot is known about the filming of 1923 – especially the scenes from Butte, Montana. Without further ado, let’s unpack the filming of 1923 and take a closer look at all the spectacular spots where it was filmed.

1923: A brief synopsis

1923 is a new Paramount+ Original series that’ll premiere on the platform on December 18, 2022. It’s dubbed as the ‘Yellowstone origin story’ and serves as its prequel, whereas it’s a sequel to another show in the franchise 1883. 

All three shows follow the Duttons, a ranching family from Montana, going through all the hardships that their particular time in history brought. 1923 is primarily a Drama/Western created by the brilliant Academy Award nominee Taylor Sheridan, starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Brandon Sklenar, and others.

Naturally, as the shows take place about 50-100 years apart, we follow different generations of the Dutton family. For instance, 1883 follows the first generation of the Duttons as they moved west, 1923 will follow their direct descendants, whereas Yellowstone is set in the present day, with Kevin Costner being a sixth-generation Dutton.

The show we’re focusing on today is 1923, the one that hasn’t hit the platform yet. In it, Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren portray Jacob and Cora Dutton, respectively, as they face a new set of challenges that comes with their era, such as the Great Depression, Prohibition, and the rise of Western expansion.

I’m happy to hear (and see) that the show stayed true to its location, mostly being filmed in Montana. Let’s take a closer look into all the filming locations for the show – trust me, there are plenty.

1923 filming locations (in-depth)

As I’ve mentioned, 1923, like Yellowstone, takes place on the Dutton family ranch in Montana. I’m happy that the show stayed true to the location and was primarily filmed in Montana, although not in the exact spots as Yellowstone. There are overlaps, but most of the production for 1923 happened separately. Here’s an in-depth look into all the known filming locations.

Butte, Montana

The vast majority of 1923 was shot in the beautiful, picturesque, historical town of Butte, Montana. The town was completely taken over by the production team, with buildings and streets being redecorated for the purpose of filming. It resulted in a stunning look of an already stunning town that now had even more of that rustic, early-20th-century charm.

Butte is a town with a rich history, and the architecture of the town certainly shows it. In the past, Butte was known for its old coal and copper mines and was also referred to as the ‘Richest Hill on Earth’ due to all the gold, silver, and copper mining that proved to be incredibly lucrative over the years.

The show used the town’s picturesque streets and buildings to perfection, giving them a slight makeover to appear more rustic and 1920s-ish. Filming took place on Butte’s most well-known streets, such as Hamilton Street, Quartz Street, Alaska Street, etc.

KXFL Butte shared a lovely, short video from the filming site in Uptown Butte, where we can see Harrison Ford in a cowboy hat, riding a horse down the street.

On Granite Street – more precisely, 156 W Granite St. – there’s an old Carpenter’s Union building that is now the headquarters of the KMBF Radio Station. The 1923 crew redecorated it to fit the time period, and the interior was used for many scenes.

Another highly important building used in the show was the Butte Civic Center, located at 1340 Harrison Avenue (Harrison Ford enjoyed it, I bet). The Center is a big, multipurpose arena that the showrunners used as a studio, where numerous sets were constructed for the purpose of the show. The Civic Center is in Paramount’s control until January 2023.

All that aside, however, perhaps the most action took place on the famous Broadway Street, where countless shops and storefronts were not only redecorated but also created by the producers. For instance, we’ll have Honest Jim’s Pawnshop, Heine Fine Fur, Opal’s Diner Luncheonette, Two Bits & A Nick Barbershop, etc.

As for the real buildings from the street, the showrunners used the Silver House at 106 W Broadway St. and converted it into the Election Headquarters for the show, whereas the Piccadilly Museum of Transportation (filled with vintage cars, etc.) was used as an Auto Dealer shop for the purposes of the show.

Other locations in Montana

While most of the show was shot in Butte, Montana – a 2-3 hour car ride from Darby, Montana, where the ranch scenes for Yellowstone were filmed – it’s not the only town in the state that’ll appear in the show.

Other 1923 filming locations in Montana include Anaconda, Deer Lodge, Hamilton, Park City, Pony, Valier, and Whitehall. Most of the towns were used in only a few scenes or for specific locations, but enough to be listed as filming locations on IMDb.

Other locations in the world

The majority of the show, as you probably realized by now, is taking place in Montana and was therefore filmed in Montana as well. However, IMDb listed many filming locations for 1923, not just outside of Montana but the US in general.

Some scenes were shot in Europe (more precisely, in Malta), while others were shot in Tanzania and South Africa, both located on the African continent, respectively. I’d bet that some desert/prairie scenes were shot there due to the nature of the show and the absolutely phenomenal beauty of nature in those countries.

Or, perhaps, there’ll be some plot revolving around that area, but it still remains to be seen.