Will Rogers Memorial: Where Oklahoma's Favorite Son Is Buried

Will Rogers bought the land in Claremore in nineteen eleven with the intention of building a retirement home on the hill above town. He never got the chance. He died in an Alaska plane crash with aviator Wiley Post in August nineteen thirty-five at the age of fifty-five.

After his death, Oklahoma legislators and thousands of private donors raised money to honor the Cherokee citizen, humorist, actor, and radio star who had become one of the most beloved Americans of his era. Ground was broken in April nineteen thirty-eight. On November fourth, nineteen thirty-eight, what would have been Rogers's fifty-ninth birthday, the limestone memorial opened to the public.

He is buried in the family tomb on the grounds along with his wife Betty and several family members. The museum's galleries hold a large collection of Rogers memorabilia, including his saddles, film reels, newspaper columns, and the lasso he twirled on stage.