Will Rogers achieved legendary status during his own lifetime. He began his career as a cowboy, but discovered he could put his amazing roping skills to better use in Wild West shows. His wife, Betty, suggested he add some humorous commentary to his lariat show, and Rogers' down-home, dry wit caught on and took him out of western shows and into vaudeville and the Ziegfield Follies. As his fame grew, Rogers made the natural leap from vaudeville to film and then to radio. At the peak of his career, he was writing, broadcasting, acting and traveling the world.
Sadly, Rogers perished in a 1935 plane crash with fellow Oklahoman Wiley Post. Rogers' family donated land he had purchased for a retirement residence to the state of Oklahoma for use as a museum site.
The Will Rogers Memorial Museum opened in 1938, just three years after Rogers' death. Today, it houses an extensive collection of Rogers memorabilia, western art, documents and photographs.
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