Ennis' death came at the hands of bandits who attacked the Oregon-bound wagon train: He took a bullet to the chest and was gone quickly. Elsa Dutton, Ennis' love (played by Isabel May), killed his murderer immediately afterward, then collapsed in grief next to the fallen cowhand's body.
Not long after Elsa (Isabel May) received assurances from her beloved Ennis (Eric Nelsen) that he would marry her, tragedy struck their wagon train: a gunfight with some marauding bandits took away the man who took Elsa's virginity. That's right: Ennis the cow herder is dead!
As sad as it is to say, that beacon of light has now been extinguished as Ennis was shot dead during Episode 5 of 1883. His dying words spoken to James Dutton were "I loved her."
So when Eric Nelsen, who plays Ennis on 1883, found out he would be working alongside Tim McGraw, with his wife Faith Hill on set to back him up no less, of course he was a little apprehensive.
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.
Later, Elsa and Sam spend the night together which shows this isn't a flash in the pan romance, and that the pair are serious about their relationship. Elsa tells her mother just as much the next morning, but agrees to ride with them to Oregon before eventually returning to Sam.
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. Whether this means that Sam too is dead is unknown, but it's not unlikely.
Unfortunately for the young couple, their honeymoon ended abruptly when Ennis, in an effort to protect Elsa and the others, from a dangerous group of bandits, was killed by gunshot in the final minutes of the latest installment.
Spencer is sibling to Elsa and John Sr. He is a former soldier-turned-big game hunter who is called home from Africa to help his family defend their land. While in Africa, Spencer meets and falls in love with Alex (Julia Schlaepfer), and they return to Montana together to help his family.
Even cowboys get the blues. So when Eric Nelsen's Ennis met his maker in 1883's Episode 5, there were plenty of tears on the Yellowstone prequel's set — starting with Nelsen himself. “As an actor, I underestimated that day,” he tells TVLine.
In 1975 Alma divorces Ennis, taking custody of their two daughters and marrying her former employer. Jack hopes Ennis' divorce will allow them to live together, but Ennis refuses to move away from his children and remains uncomfortable with the idea of living with a man.
Elsa was also planning to split from the group to stay with Sam, but after many goodbyes, everyone decided they were going to Oregon anyway. Even Elsa decided to leave her boyfriend so she could find out where Oregon was, while planning to return to the plains in June to reunite with him.
Elsa also reveals that Margaret wrote to Jacob to come help her and her sons at the ranch in the aftermath. By the time he arrived, Jacob found Margaret had frozen to death in a snow drift, and the boys - John and Spencer - were nearly starved to death.
Throughout the episode, Elsa's narration is used to fill in the gaps of what has happened to the Dutton clan in the four decades that have passed since the events of "1883."
James Dutton : [rides up to Ennis who is watching the herd] If you want to court my daughter, you can. Ennis : [bewildered] Court her? James Dutton : [nods his head in approval] You can do it.
After Ennis and Jack went their separate ways, Ennis stopped on the roadside and tried to throw up because he felt "like someone was pulling his guts out hand over hand a yard at a time." This moment is a powerful expression of the emotional turmoil that Ennis is experiencing as he tries to reconcile his love for Jack ...
If you've watched the series (and read the headline), you know that Elsa ultimately passes away from an infected arrow wound in Montana, leading the family to settle in the place of her death. It was an incredibly powerful scene, and even as the actors performing it, McGraw and Hill said the whole thing was rough.
What happened to the Dutton family after Elsa died?
The caravan was heading toward Oregon, but the Dutton family had to settle in Montana after the death of their daughter, Elsa (Isabel May). Elsa was the main narrator of 1883 and appeared via voiceover in the first episode of 1923 as well.
The two then ride off where Sam tells Elsa that he chose his name after a man named Sam killed his wife; he wanted to take the man's name after taking the man's life. (Sam killed Sam.) Sam gives Elsa a nickname, “Lightning Yellow Hair.”
Out of nowhere, Sam appears and gets Elsa, Wade and Colton to lay down on the side of hill and brace themselves. Impulsively, Elsa kisses Sam as they hold on to each other for dear life. Miraculously, no one is killed by the tornado, but the destruction to the wagons and the settlers' possessions is devastating.
In 1883, James and his wife, Margaret, leave Tennessee with James' sister and niece—both of whom soon die. The Duttons will reach and settle the Yellowstone during this trip, losing their daughter Elsa in the process. James later dies in 1893 after being shot by horse thieves.
Throughout the movie, Elsa develops a romantic interest in Isabella. She later comes to realize that Isabella loves her back. In the end, they get married. In their honor, Anna gives up the throne for Elsa and her new wife.
