Cole Hauser's connection to Montana runs deeper than the "Yellowstone" franchise.Hauser told Fox News Digital that while Taylor Sheridan's hit franchise introduced millions of viewers to Montana, his family's ties to the Treasure State stretch back nearly 140 years."Montana, my family has been there since 1886.So the Hauser legacy there is huge," Hauser said.
"I mean, Samuel T.Hauser was the seventh governor of Montana, helped start that state.
So going back there felt like a homecoming for me."Samuel T.Hauser served as the seventh governor of the Montana Territory and was a businessman whose investments in banking, mining and railroads helped shape the territory's early development.
For Hauser, stepping into the character meant filming in a place that had already been woven into his family's history long before television cameras arrived.WATCH: COLE HAUSER SAYS MONTANA ROOTS HELPED SHAPE HIS CONNECTION TO RIP WHEELERCLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERNow, as the Western franchise expands into Texas with "Dutton Ranch," experts say the show's tourism boom may be expanding with it."Traveling to the sets of popular TV shows, movies, and even books has increased substantially over the past few years," Adam Duckworth, president and founder of Travelmation, told Fox News Digital."We have even given this travel trend a name: set-jetting.
This is when fans 'jet' to the sets of their favorite shows."According to Duckworth, few modern television shows have influenced American travel quite like "Yellowstone.""'Yellowstone' was one of the first shows to spark this trend," he said."Fans would watch the Dutton family in those breathtaking landscapes and want to see them in person with their own eyes.
Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding areas saw a boom in tourism as the show increased in popularity and next we expect that to happen in Texas thanks to the spin-off 'Dutton Ranch.'"Sheridan's original series premiered in 2018 and steadily evolved f...