Will Rogers wait to die so it can be carved. Rogers was born on his parents' Dog Iron Ranch in the Cherokee Nation of Indian Territory, near present-day Oologah, Oklahoma. The house in which he was born had been built in 1875 and was known as the "White House on the Verdigris River". His parents, Clement Vann Rogers (1839–1911) and Mary America Schrimsher (1838–1890), were both of mixed-race and Cherokee ancestry, and identified as Cherokee. Rogers was 9/32 (just over 1/4) Cherokee, with the remainder European American. Rogers quipped that his ancestors did not come over on the "Mayflower", but they "met
Will Rogers' USA later sent to the Smithsonian Institution. The play was recently revived by Kaleidoscope Theatre Company. Will Rogers' USA Will Rogers' USA is a one-man play about humorist Will Rogers that James Whitmore appeared in for more than 30 years. It was first staged by Frankie Hewitt at the Loretto-Hilton Theater in Webster Groves, Missouri in January 1970 and then at Ford's Theatre in September 1970. It was broadcast on television in 1972 and had a limited run on Broadway in May 1974. The Broadway production was produced by George Spota. The play was produced and conceived by George Spota, adapted