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Located on a hillside on the Pacific Palisades is the historic ranch house that once belonged
to one of the most beloved men of his time, Will Rogers.
Known for his profound wit and cowboy philosophy, Rogers got his start performing horse and
rope tricks.
His career led him to the Siegfield Follies and then into Hollywood films.
His love of horses and anything pertaining to the culture of the old west never left
him.
His 186 acre ranch was deeded to the State of California by Will's wife Betty, after
her death in 1944, and has been preserved to look exactly as it did when the Rogers
family lived in it during the 1920's and 30's.
Today, visitors will enjoy the features of the landscaped grounds at Will Rogers State
Historic Park.
In addition to the main house, Rogers had a stable built on the property which continues
to board horses.
The structure includes 19 stalls and an open rotunda for exercising his boarders.
The ranch house overlooks this regulation size polo field where the sport is still played
on some weekends April through September.
A visitor center sits next to the ranch house and contains a bookstore and some displays
that educate the public on Roger's life.
Tours of the house interior begins here so it's a good place to start.
The park's interpretive specialist Mike, talks about house tours.
Mike: Well the living room is very unique. It's a national treasure. Everything here
is original and actually belonged to the Rogers family. So when you come to visit, each room
contains everything the way it was originally when the Rogers family lived here.
It's very unique in that sense. There are very few historic sites that have all original
objects.
Will Rogers is one of those places.
The north wing side of the house we also have the living room combination library and study,
and then we also have the upstairs study. We call it Will's study and the bedrooms are
also upstairs.
Russ: Now Mike, this isn't just another house, we're saving it for some reason, why?
Mike: Well this is a national treasure because it represents Will Rogers, the man and who
he was.
He was an extraordinary person. Everything he did seemed to have an element of magic
to it. Whether he made a fortune, lost a fortune, and made it back again, that's the kind of
life Will lived.