In the 1920s, radio star Will Rogers built a 186-acre Pacific Palisades ranch; after his widow died in 1944, the property became a California state historic park

Will Rogers started acquiring property in the hills above Santa Monica in the early 1920s, assembling a private 186-acre ranch overlooking the Pacific Ocean in what is now Pacific Palisades; the land would not become a state park until 1944. California State Parks and other secondary sources both describe the property as 186 acres. In the early 1930s, Will Rogers was among the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, and the ranch gave him a place to ride horses and play polo.The 31-room Ranch House, built in 1926The centerpiece of the property was a 31-room ranch house, according to California State Parks, where Rogers and his wife, Betty, raised their three children: Will Jr., Mary, and Jim. The National Register of Historic Places lists the house's year of construction as 1926, with a period of significance spanning 1925 to 1949, reflecting the fuller span of Rogers' activity on the land rather than the building alone. That same federal listing records the house's original address as 14253 Sunset Boulevard, the address on file when it joined the Register in 1971; the park's current address is 1501 Will Rogers State Park Road.Rogers dies in a plane crash with Wiley PostHowever, Rogers' career ended on August 15, 1935, when he died in a plane crash with fellow aviator Wiley Post in Alaska. Betty Rogers took possession of the property and continued hosting polo games at the ranch field. She died in 1944, the same year she ensured the 186-acre property would pass into public hands: California State Parks says she wanted the ranch preserved as a memorial to her husband, and the land became Will Rogers State Historic Park, open to the public ever since. The ranch house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1971.January 2025: The Palisades fire destroys the Ranch HouseThe Palisades Fire ravaged the ranch house in Will Rogers State Historic Park in January 2025. As ICT News explains, the fire completely destroyed the house in the Los Angeles fires of Jan. 8. However, state parks personnel saved several pieces of artwork and personal belongings before the flames engulfed the structure. Jennifer Rogers-Etcheverry, a great-granddaughter of Rogers, indicated that she wanted to get involved in the park's restoration efforts. The park was owned by California State Parks the entire time, but the park itself was closed due to fire, including popular trails like those leading to Inspiration Point, while the damage was being assessed. The regulation-sized polo field within the park, which had hosted polo matches on the very ground Rogers rode across, escaped relatively unscathed from the fire.The park reopens after a ten-month closure The park had been closed for ten months to conduct clean-up and assess the extent of damage. According to California State Parks and various other news sources like LAist and OutdoorHub, the park opened its doors to the public again on November 8, 2025, with operating hours set to run from 8 a.m. until sunset, and with limited on-site parking. As per CBS LA, all nine miles of trails in the park were open to the public on that day except the Backbone Trail, the Rivas Canyon and Temescal Trail, and portions of the Inspiration Point Trailhead. Opening day featured guided hikes, historical walks, a polo demonstration, free coffee and ice cream, and lawn games, giving residents their first chance in nearly a year to walk the grounds Rogers once called home.The 31-room ranch house burned down entirely in the fire, leaving nothing except its foundation, while a security fence has been erected around the remains, which comprise two chimneys and portions of the original stonework walks. According to California State Parks, the future of this site would depend on a public outreach program to start in 2026, which would help restore the Will Rogers State Historic Park as a homage to his former ranch residence.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.