Wildfires on Tuesday night destroyed the historic California home of Oklahoma humorist Will Rogers within the Will Rogers State Historic Park in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.
More fires broke out on the northern edge of Los Angeles on Wednesday night. Travel along Route 66 in that region is discouraged, and many motels will be booked with thousands of fire refugees.
The Will Rogers Memorial Museum in his home base of Claremore, Oklahoma, posted interior images of the home before the fire and what it looked like afterward:
The fire consumed the main ranch house and affected other areas of the property, reported News on 6 in Tulsa.
“We are deeply saddened to learn about the fire that destroyed Will Rogers State Historic Park,” said Trait Thompson, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, Will Rogers’ great-granddaughter, expressed grief over the loss while also highlighting the broader devastation in the Pacific Palisades area.
“While the loss to the Will Rogers Ranch is devastating, it pales in comparison to the loss of property, businesses, and, more importantly, lives in the surrounding area,” she said. “The Rogers family is devastated by the loss of the California ranch and the overwhelming loss of the community. Our hearts go out to all those neighbors who have lost their homes. The community of Pacific Palisades has always been a generous supporter of the Will Rogers State Historic Park.”
Caretakers removed some of the memorabilia from the home, but it’s unknown how much.
California State Parks stated in a news release that the flames were whipped by 80 mph winds.
Rogers in the 1920s purchased the 359-acre property that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. According to the park’s website, a 31-room ranch house with neighboring guest housing, a stable, corrals, a riding ring, a roping arena, a polo field, a golf course and riding trails were part of the compound.
His widow donated the ranch to California State Parks in 1944, and it became a state historic park.
Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, posted some of his own photos of the home.
The witty Rogers, often cited as Oklahoma’s most famous son, was the No. 1 star in Hollywood, on radio and in newspapers when he died during a plane crash in Alaska in 1935.
He was so popular, he probably would have won in a landslide if he’d run for president. Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of sites in Oklahoma bear his name.
Rogers also is inextricably linked to Route 66. He grew up near there and promoted the highway. U.S. 66 also was named the Will Rogers Highway in his honor during the 1940s. A well-known monument dedicating the Will Rogers Highway was installed in 1952 in Santa Monica, California, near the Santa Monica Pier.
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