Where There Was A Will More Than A Half-Century After His Death, Humorist’S Ranch A Big Tourist Draw
“You must judge a man’s greatness by how much he will be missed.”
- Will Rogers
Will Rogers was not speaking of himself, but he was unquestionably a great man — still remembered, still missed 64 years after his death.
This year, more than 250,000 visitors are expected at his sprawling, hillside house with its commanding view of western Los Angeles, Santa Monica and the Pacific Ocean. His 186-acre ranch, located less than 15 miles from downtown Los Angeles, became a state historic park after the death of his wife in 1944.
Rogers bought the property in 1922 (he said the site reminded him of his boyhood in Oklahoma) and built a small cottage as a weekend retreat from his Beverly Hills home. After the cottage had expanded to the present 31-room ranch house, the family moved there permanently in 1928.
Rogers was at the peak of his career when he died in an Alaskan airplane crash with famed aviator Wiley Post. The popular humorist-philosopher was the star of radio, screen and stage, and wrote a newspaper column read by 40 million Americans.
Rogers got his start at the turn of the century as a trick roper and rider. And, despite all his other accomplishments, roping and riding remained his first loves. He even had the roof raised in his living room so he could do rope tricks inside the ranch house. He lassoed friends when they came to visit until one friend, tired of being roped, gave Rogers a full-sized stuffed calf so he could practice on the real thing.
The calf, soon rendered earless from repeated ropings, still stands in the living room of Rogers’ ranch house, where the humorist lived until his death. The calf shares the comfortable retreat with other furnishings and memorabilia of Rogers, all left to the State of California. The house, ranch buildings and grounds are maintained as they were when Rogers and his family lived there.
Photos and other mementos of the star’s life are on display at the visitor center in the old garage adjacent to the house. In addition, there are several orientation films (totaling 40 minutes) depicting Rogers’ career (including clips from Hal Roach’s silent movie, “The Cowboy Sheik”) and showing him performing some of the lasso tricks that made him famous as the world’s greatest roper. Some of these are out-takes from “The Roping Fool” that have never been shown before, according to the narrator, the late Will Rogers, Jr.
The tour of the house is limited to the living room, dining room and library downstairs, and upstairs to Rogers’ office and two bedrooms, those of Will and Betty and their daughter, Mary.
Inside the unpretentious house, docents and park rangers tell their favorite Rogers anecdotes and identify the furnishings, which can best be described as comfortable, casual and cowboy. The living room is western-style with large wood beams, Navajo rugs, Indian baskets, Charles Russell watercolors and sculptures, and a steer head with a seven-foot horn span mounted over the massive stone fireplace.
Two large oil portraits of Will and Betty Rogers command the end wall of the wood-paneled rustic dining room. The table is set and it looks as if the family will be coming in for dinner at any minute.
The north wing of the house contains the family’s bedrooms, the library, sunroom and Will’s study with his favorite polo mallets, hat and boots, and the old portable Remington typewriter he wrote his columns on when he was at home.
As requested by Betty Rogers in her bequest to the state, all the clocks in the house are stopped at 8:18 a.m., the time of Rogers’ death (Oklahoma time).
Outside on the grounds, you can picnic on the spreading green lawns or at tables shaded by eucalyptus trees. (Food and beverages are not sold in the park so visitors must bring their own.)
The stables, riding ring and roping arena that Rogers built are nearby. The immaculate barn houses more than 40 horses, whose owners pay from $450 to $500 a month to board there - and there is always a waiting list of more than 50. On one wall is a large photograph of the barn with horses inscribed by Will, “Here’s the barn that jokes built.”
Hikers can walk the trails that Rogers once rode on horseback, including the popular two-mile loop trek to Inspiration Point for a panoramic view of the Santa Monica Mountains. A hikers’ map is available at the Visitor Center.
Horse fans can watch free polo matches May through September (weather permitting) on Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the grassy field where Rogers once competed. Games last about two hours. Spectators bring folding chairs, cushions or blankets and sit on the sidelines to watch the ponies race up and down the 300 yards between the goal posts, their riders furiously whacking at the small wooden ball.
When not in use by polo players, the field is available for other casual outdoor activities.
IF YOU GO Will Rogers State Park Will Rogers State Park is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The house is open for guided tours only, on the half hour from 10:30 to 4:30. Admission charge is $6 per vehicle, $5 for senior citizens. Dogs ($1 fee, unless a guide dog) must be on a leash and are not allowed on the trails. Fires or barbecues are not allowed. To get to the park from downtown Los Angeles, take Interstate 10 west to I-405. Drive north to Sunset Boulevard, then west about 4.5 miles to the park entrance on the right, then left at Will Rogers Drive (it is well marked). Further information can be obtained from Will Rogers State Park, 1501 Will Rogers State Park Rd., Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 (310) 454-8212).