In a stunning twist, Elsa decides that she will not make the rest of the journey to Oregon, opting to stay with Sam, marry him and make a life together.
Meanwhile, fan-favorite Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) made good on his promise to see the Pacific Ocean so his late wife could “use [his] eyes to see the world” — then promptly shot himself.
She later met a Comanche warrior in Kansas named Sam who she connected with, giving her a second chance at love. She later agreed to accept Sam's hand in marriage, but there was no ceremony. She did carry on with the caravan with a promise to return back to Sam once her family settled.
Elsa, who had decided to see her family in Oregon before returning to be with Sam, may be dead, but just as her spirit narrates the series (and the following 1923 series), so it's implied that her spirit reunites with Sam's in the afterlife.
Elsa grew exponentially through her short romance with Ennis, and her more serious relationship with Sam is a representation of that growth. Elsa's relationships with men are used as stepping stones to demonstrate her growth as a person, and her engagement to Ennis is a crucial turning point.
1883 Ending Explained - The Fading of Elsa Dutton: She Is No Longer Afraid
Who gets Elsa pregnant?
Does Elsa get pregnant in 1883? The Yellowstone prequel never clarified whether Elsa (Isabel May) and Ennis (Eric Nelsen) consummating their relationship in 1883 season 1, episode 5 “The Fangs of Freedom" resulted in Elsa getting pregnant.
In a mix of tragic death and hopeful optimism for the show's settlers, the 1883 ending fleshed out the story of how the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch was founded with the blood of pioneers, literally. The site Elsa chose to be buried was a valley called “Paradise” which ended up becoming the Yellowstone Ranch.
The finale of the 19th century Yellowstone prequel killed off its most important character, but many viewers still wonder why Elsa dies in 1883. While the death is tragic, it is necessary to move the story of the Dutton's forward and to set up the world of 1923, Yellowstone, and beyond.
But upon Monica's (Kelsey Asbille) arrival, we see that the three graves she kneels beside are for James (Tim McGraw), Margaret (Faith Hill), and Elsa Dutton (Isabel May).
"You definitely aren't forgetting, you know, it's not like he dies and we just forget about him," Nelsen said. "She [Elsa] recalls his memory a good deal and it's brought up throughout the rest of the season."
Traveling west at the age of 17 with her parents and younger brother, John, Elsa fell in love twice on the road—first with cowboy Ennis, who was killed by bandits, and then with Comanche warrior Sam, to whom she promised she'd return after her family found their homestead out west.
As James cradled her, the two shed tears while sharing their precious memories and taking her final breath, Elsa said: “I know what it is. I'm not scared. I'm not scared, daddy.”
1883 ended its first season in brutal fashion. The Yellowstone prequel starring Faith Hill and Tim McGraw wrapped its 10-episode season by killing off both their onscreen daughter, Elsa Dutton (Isabel May), and Pinkerton agent Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott).
Elsa was the main narrator of 1883 and appeared via voiceover in the first episode of 1923 as well. James and Margaret also had two sons: John and Spencer.
As the season drew to a close, the heart-wrenching moment arrived as Elsa Dutton, also the show's narrator, succumbed to her infection and bid farewell to the world. With Elsa's passing, the Dutton family faces an uncertain future, forever marked by the loss of their beloved daughter.
Elsa is the sister of John Dutton Senior, but her relationship with Costner's character is more complicated. As John Dutton Junior came into the mix, Elsa is Costner's character's great aunt.
Spencer Dutton is the younger son of James and Margaret Dutton, born after the events of 1883. Spencer is the younger son of James and Margaret Dutton. During a harsh winter in 1893 James dies after suffering a gunshot wound.
James does return, but it turns out he's been shot, with the first episode of 1923 confirming - via Elsa Dutton's ghostly voiceover narration - that he died of that bullet shortly after. Elsa also reveals that Margaret wrote to Jacob to come help her and her sons at the ranch in the aftermath.
Yellowstone fans know that Duttons have been buried in the same spot in Montana for over a century. The Dutton family cemetery makes more sense after 1883 revealed that Elsa was the first person to be buried on the land.
Margaret Dutton was the first matriarch of the Dutton family and mother to Elsa, John, and Spencer. She died of hypothermia during a bitter Montana winter, shortly after James died after being shot by horse thieves.
He met up with a caravan of travelers bound for Oregon and took a liking to Elsa Dutton. The two raced horses against each other and grew closer when they had a talk afterwards.
