For the most part, Taylor Sheridan's television shows tend to have self-explanatory titles.Yellowstonewas set on the Yellowstone Dutton ranch,Lionesscenters on the Lioness CIA team, and1923took place in… well, you get the idea. So when the title for his latest creative outing was announced asThe Madison, fans naturally had to wonder about the connection.
While Sheridan has yet to officially confirm the matter, the meaning behind the title seems to be two-fold: On the one side is the Madison River Valley in Montana, on the other, Madison Avenue in New York City.
In the show, Stacy Clyburn (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) and her Manhattanite family travel from the Big Apple to Big Sky Country to visit the property her husband Preston (Kurt Russell) owned in the Madison River Valley. Indeed, in the series, Stacy wonders about the connection, questioning why both areas would share the same name despite their vast differences.
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The answer, of course, if that both locations were named for America's fourth president, James Madison. The Madison River (from which the valley takes its name) was christened by the explorer duo Lewis and Clark when they came across the location where the tributaries of the Missouri River diverted into three branches.
"We called the S.W. Fork, that which we meant to ascend, Jefferson's river in honor of Thomas Jefferson," Meriwether Lewiswrotein his journal on July 28, 1805. "The Middle fork we called Madison's River in honor of James Madison, and the S.E. Fork Gallitian's river in honor of Albert Gallitian." Jefferson was, at the time, President of the United States, while Madison (who would follow Jefferson to the presidency in 1809) served as Secretary of State. Gallatin was Secretary of the Treasury.
The avenue, on the other hand, was named after Madison Square Garden, which was originally located at what is now Madison Square Park, and served as the end point for the avenue. One of the garden's original purposes was as a military parade ground, and it was dedicated in Madison's honor in1814, in the midst of his presidency.
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