L.A., Hollywood, Tourism & Travel

Will Rogers State Historic Park
1501 Will Rogers Park Road
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 454-8212

Operated by California State Parks (parks.ca.gov)

Will Rogers, a famous Western actor and humorist was an Oklahoma native who lived in California close to the film studios, and was remembered after he died with the legacy of his home and grounds turned into a California State Park. who lived from
California memorials
Will Roger's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6401 Hollywood Blvd.
Will Rogers Monument, located at the western terminus of Route 66

Rogers's home, stables, and polo fields are preserved today for public enjoyment as Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades. His widow, Betty, willed the property to the state of California upon her death in 1944, under the condition that polo be played on the field every year. Will Rogers Elementary School in Santa Monica is named for Rogers, as is Will Rogers Elementary School in Ventura. There are two Middle Schools named Will Rogers (one in Long Beach and the other in Fair Oaks). A United States Navy submarine USS Will Rogers is also named in his honor. A small park on Sunset Boulevard and Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills was named Will Rogers Memorial Park after him. Also, a beach in Malibu was named Will Rogers Beach.

U.S. Route 66 is known as the Will Rogers Highway; a plaque dedicating the highway to the humorist is located opposite the western terminus of Route 66 in Santa Monica.

The California Theatre in San Bernardino is the site of the humorist's final show. He always performed in front of special jewelled curtains of which he had two.

While he was using one, he would send the other to the site of his next performance. Due to his untimely death, the curtain before which he performed last remained with the California Theatre where the artifact stays to this day, and two memorial murals by Ken Twitchell grace the exterior of the fly loft. The California Theatre also named one of its reception spaces the Will Rogers Room.




At Will Rogers we were taken inside and given a tour by a volunteer who was over 90 years old.

There are lots of old posters hanging on the walls. The kitchen is like you would of seen all those many years ago.

The library was still intact.

Will Rogers State Historic Park is the former estate of American humorist Will Rogers. It lies in the Santa Monica mountains in Los Angeles, in the Pacific Palisades area.

Location: 14253 Sunset
Blvd
Los Angeles, California

Has a turnpike named in his honor. The Will Rogers Turnpike is in northeast Oklahoma running from just outside of Tulsa, through Will's hometown of Claremore to the Missouri state line.

He was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 6608 Hollywood Boulevard and for Motion Pictures at 6401 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.


While growing up on the family ranch, he worked with cattle and learned to ride and lasso from a young age. He grew so talented with a rope, in fact, that he was placed in the Guinness Book of World Records for throwing three lassos at once. One went around the horse's neck, another circled around the rider, and the third flew under the horse, looping all four legs together.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

When the Okies left Oklahoma and moved to California, it raised the I.Q. of both states.

Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.

Being a hero is about the shortest-lived profession on Earth.

In what is now the town of Pacific Palisades, Rogers built his ranch, where he lived with his wife Betty and their three children, Will Jr., Mary and James. The 31-room ranch house, which includes 11 baths and seven fireplaces, is surrounded by a stable, corrals, riding ring, roping arena, golf course, polo field - and riding and hiking trails that give visitors spectacular views of the ranch and the surrounding countryside - 186 acres (757,000 m²). The ranch became a State Park in 1944 after the death of Mrs. Rogers, and the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
California State Parks has completed a major renovation of the ranch house. The project included reconstruction of flagstone areas that surround the house, seismic safety work, replacement of electrical systems and installation of a new heating and air conditioning system. The house has reopened to the public as of March 2006.

Hiking trail surrounding the park
Beyond the ranch and the stables are the trails that lead to spectacular views of the countryside around the park. Since Will Rogers State Historic Park is on the tip of the Santa Monica Mountains, the trails offer vistas of both the sea and the mountains. Visitors can hike to Inspiration Point, take the Rogers trail around the perimeter of the park or continue on into Topanga State Park via the Backbone Trail System.

The ranch reflects Will Rogers' roots in horsemanship, starting with the polo field, which is the first thing the visitor sees when looking south from the parking area. The field is the only outdoor polo field in Los Angeles County, and the only field that is regulation size. Featured in many movies and television shows including a stint as Golden Gate Park in Star Trek IV[1], the polo field features a gentle slope that forms an area for viewing the polo action. Up from the parking area are the ranch buildings, including the visitor center, which once was the ranch guest house. The visitor center features a film on the life of Will Rogers, literature and an audio tour of the grounds. The ranch buildings and grounds are maintained as they were when the Rogers family lived there in the late 1920s and 1930s. The living room of the main ranch house, with a collection of Native American rugs and baskets, features a porch swing in the center of the room and a mounted calf, which was given to Will Rogers to encourage him to rope the calf instead of his friends. The north wing of the house contains the family bedrooms, Rogers' study, and the sunroom.
But the park is more than just a historic site, it's also a working ranch. The park still retains many of the western equestrian activities that were a part of Will Rogers' life. Up the hill from the main guest ranch, above the green expanse of lawn, are the stables, which have been renovated.

Will Rogers State Historic Park is the former estate of American humorist Will Rogers. It lies in the Santa Monica mountains in Los Angeles, in the Pacific Palisades area.

In what is now the town of Pacific Palisades, Rogers built his ranch, where he lived with his wife Betty and their three children, Will Jr., Mary and James. The 31-room ranch house, which includes 11 baths and seven fireplaces, is surrounded by a stable, corrals, riding ring, roping arena, golf course, polo field - and riding and hiking trails that give visitors spectacular views of the ranch and the surrounding countryside - 186 acres. The ranch became a State Park in 1944 after the death of Mrs. Rogers, and the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

California State Parks has completed a major renovation of the ranch house. The project included reconstruction of flagstone areas that surround the house, seismic safety work, replacement of electrical systems and installation of a new heating and air conditioning system. The house has reopened to the public as of March 2006.
Hiking trail surrounding the park

Beyond the ranch and the stables are the trails that lead to spectacular views of the countryside around the park. Since Will Rogers State Historic Park is on the tip of the Santa Monica Mountains, the trails offer vistas of both the sea and the mountains. Visitors can hike to Inspiration Point, take the Rogers trail around the perimeter of the park or continue on into Topanga State Park via the Backbone Trail System.

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