Will Rogers Memorial Museum

On October 14, I went to visit the Will Rogers Memorial Museum here in Claremore. This site is considered significant because it is Oklahoma’s tribute to one of their own who always considered Oklahoma as his home, no matter how much fame he acquired. Will Rogers is also buried at the memorial along with his wife and three of his four children. If I was an Oklahoma History teacher in a secondary school, I would use this site as a field trip. This site would be beneficial while lecturing over a number of things, for example; famous Oklahomans, the pride of the Natives, or even old Broadway films. Will Rogers accomplished many occupations in his lifetime, and each one is considered special since he was from Oklahoma. People are proud to claim …show more content…
That alone is inspiring, and would hopefully spark the same feeling in the students. This museum is one of the most organized, informative museums I have ever visited. Each room they have is over a different area of his life. They have one for his films, his boyhood, his radio personality, rooms from his houses, and a timeline of his life. Each of these exhibits are organized in chronological order. The rooms that are replicated from his houses are so peaceful and calm, it really makes you feel that it was his room you were standing in. There was also a mini theatre room dedicated to his films, it was so much fun to sit and watch some of his old films and gain an appreciation of his acting career. The room dedicated to his radio career was surrounded with the sound of him doing his radio addresses, and the walls were lined with his own personal hand-written scripts. There was also a video playing of him delivering one of his addresses. There were two rooms dedicated to the timeline of his life, the first room focused on his family, leading up to how Will Rogers was born all the way until his marriage. There were several personal memoirs in glass cases and the one that I immediately noticed was the original marriage …show more content…
For one, I did not know there was a ship named after him. I have never heard of the SS Will Rogers, and to read about it being a liberty ship that would later be used in World War II was very interesting to learn about. I also had no idea that there is another memorial dedicated to him in California. I had always thought Oklahoma was the only place there was any sort of dedication or memorial, but there is one located in California that used to be his getaway home. Another fact I found interesting was how involved his wife was in his life, and how she really helped encourage him to set his career off. The museum portrayed her as a major influence in Will’s life. I find this very sweet considering how the role of women was portrayed at this time in