All Smiles at Will Rogers’ House

Kem Rogers never knew his famous grandfather, who died four years before he was born. But he treasures Will Rogers’ legacy and the ranch in Pacific Palisades where the cowboy humorist, actor and philanthropist lived until his untimely death in a 1935 plane crash.

That explains why the grandson, who recalls visiting the property as a boy, was beaming Saturday as he toured the ranch house where his father, Jim, had happily lived and where thousands of family mementos remain.

“We’re just tickled to death with what they’ve done,” he said, surveying the Western paintings and etchings, silver-trimmed saddles, ropes and Native American rugs inside the 31-room house.

The sky was overcast, but the mood was decidedly cheery as Kem Rogers and more than 2,000 other Rogers family members, dignitaries and regular folk celebrated the rededication of the house and grounds of Will Rogers State Historic Park.

Many had been waiting a long time for the moment. The house had been closed for three years as the California Department of Parks and Recreation and volunteers undertook a painstaking $5-million restoration, polishing a crown jewel that had grown dim with disrepair. Throughout the restoration, the park remained open, but the number of visitors dropped significantly.

Saturday’s Western-style celebration served to remind the public of this bucolic 186 1/2 -acre oasis in the Santa Monica Mountains, with its horse barns, polo field, pastures and miles of trails.

Visitors, who arrived on shuttles from locations in Pacific Palisades, strolled the grounds, stopping to admire a cowgirl’s horse and to watch polo players swing their mallets as they thundered down the field. Families sat at picnic tables or on blankets, sampling beef and baby-back ribs.

For Michael Lauman of Pacific Palisades, the event offered a chance to relive memories. In years past, he said, “I worked for some fellows who played polo here. I got to come up and replace divots and chat during chukkers. This park is such a treasure.”

“It’s like everybody’s dream ranch,” said Lindsay Ross, who first visited the park in the 1980s and “really got into the Will Rogers culture.” Ross, who lives in Boron, Calif., said he read about the event and decided “I just had to be here.”

Robert Basgall, a Will Rogers impersonator, demonstrated the rope tricks that first won the entertainer notice in Wild West shows before he moved on to vaudeville, the Ziegfeld Follies and Ziegfeld’s Midnight Frolic. It was there that his wry observations about world events made him a headliner. Rogers went on to become the most popular movie star of his day.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, were on hand to help mark the occasion. The actor-turned-politician injected a Hollywood note, apropos for a place that in the 1930s served as a magnet for Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and other members of filmdom’s elite.

“This park has special meaning to me,” said Schwarzenegger, who sported silver-tipped cowboy boots for the occasion. “Maria and I lived for 20 years right next door. I learned horseback riding in the park for my ‘Conan’ movies.”

To some, Schwarzenegger’s appearance was ironic. He and Shriver were among many celebrities and other private citizens who used to board horses at the park. Large sums were spent on pipe stalls and sheds to accommodate the horses. Meanwhile, the rest of the park fell into disrepair.

Five years ago, Chuck Rogers, Kem’s younger brother, threatened to sue the parks department, contending that the property had been neglected. He sternly reminded parks officials that Betty Rogers, Will’s widow, had deeded the ranch to the state in 1944 with conditions: The state would maintain the structures and grounds as a memorial. If the property were not properly maintained, it would revert to the family.

After months of battling, the state halted the private boarding of horses and agreed to launch an extensive renovation. The project, paid for largely with state bond money, involved dismantling much of the notoriously dank two-story house to repair water damage and install heating and air conditioning. It now feels snug and homey.

Volunteers also have spent hundreds of hours repairing “the barn that jokes built” -- where Will Rogers kept his horses -- and re-creating a smaller barn that Will’s son Jim had built.

Years before her death, Betty Rogers donated that barn to a relative who needed wood. Randy Young, a historian who befriended the Rogers family, worked with others to build the barn on the spot where it stood. Masons held a symbolic cornerstone ceremony at the barn Saturday.

A smiling Chuck Rogers said the restoration had succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

“Everybody’s happy,” he said. “The state’s happy. The family’s happy now. We’re not going to dwell on the past.”