Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore OK
Great Quotes From The Cherokee Kid Highlight Museum Tour in Oklahoma
Oct 20, 2009
Great quotes are what Will Rogers is known for today, but in the 1920s and 1930s, he was known for trick roping, as a folksy star of silent and talkie movies, and as a humble friend of world leaders. Those who knew him best say that Will Rogers' greatest attributes were his humility and simplicity.
Who Was Will Rogers
At the time of his death, Will Rogers was the most widely syndicated newspaper columnist in the United States with more than 400,000 weekly readers; was the #1 box office star in Hollywood; was the most requested public speaker in the US. He did 50 silent movies and 21 talkies, published more than two million words in four books. He was personal friends with seven U.S. presidents. He was ¼ Cherokee and nicknamed “The Cherokee Kid.”
Born in 1879 on a farm near Oolagah Oklahoma, Will Rogers never enjoyed education and had little patience for work on the family farm. "I wanted to be ignorant and was real successful at it" he would say.
However, he did enjoying horseback riding and trick roping. When he left home at age 15 he traveled around the world, doing trick roping in wild west style shows. He got his break into comedy one night when he tripped up on a rope during one of his tricks. "I got all but one of my feet out that time," he said and the audience laughed.
From then, his star continued to rise on Broadway, in Hollywood, on radio, newspapers and beyond. There is no one in modern media with the popularity of Will Rogers.
Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore Oklahoma
Will Rogers had purchased land in order to build a home and return to Oklahoma after his retirement. He never lived there, but the museum today is located on that land, donated by his wife and children.
A theatre plays all of his talkie movies and other stations in the museum play excerpts that demonstrate his trick roping skills. One room includes a number of Will Roger's saddles, collected from countries around the world. The collection includes saddles from Mongolia, Equador, Argentina, Paraguay, Spain, Portugal and more.
Movie posters from Will Rogers' movies adorn the walls along with great quotes by Will Rogers. A very small room includes newspaper headlines from around the world annoucing the airplane accident near Point Barrow Alaska that killed him and friend Wiley Post in 1935.
Great Quotes by Will Rogers
"I never met a man I didn't like" is one of Will Rogers' most well-known sayings. But his timeless sayings on almost any subject are as applicable today as they were in the 1930s.
- About politicians: "Once a man holds public office, he is absolutely no good for honest work."
- About government: "It's a good thing we don't get all the government we pay for."
- About family: "Mothers are the only race of people that speak the same tongue. A mother in Manchuria could converse with a mother in Nebraska and never miss a word."
- About humility: "No man is great if he thinks he is."
- About life: "Live your life so that whenever you lose, you're ahead."
The Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore is open 365 days a year and does not charge admission.
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