Perhaps the two most famous Cherokee sons are Jim Thorpe (1887-1953), an outstanding athlete and Olympic Gold Medal winner, and Will Rogers (1879 -1935), a cowboy, humorist, author, actor and entertainer. They were both born in Indian Country, now Oklahoma. They knew each other and led fascinating lives. Today’s column will feature Will Rogers because of his Georgia roots.
Will Rogers was proud of his Cherokee heritage.
He would often joke, “My ancestors didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but they met the boat.” His father, Clement Vann Rogers (1839-1911) was a widely respected Cherokee senator and judge who helped draft the Oklahoma state constitution. Rogers’ mother was Mary America Schrimsher Rogers (1839-1890), daughter of a judge. Will was raised on his father’s 60,000-acre ranch in Oklahoma where he learned his cowboy skills from the ranch hands. Like thousands of Cherokees, many of Will’s ancestors had migrated from Georgia to Indian Country following the lndian Treaty of 1835.
A tragic death
Will Rogers died tragically on Aug. 15, 1935, in a plane crash near Point Barrow, Alaska. He and his pilot friend, the famous pioneering aviator Wiley Post, were in a modified Lockheed Orion when it stalled just after takeoff, causing the plane to nose-dive and crash into a lagoon. The two were enroute from Seattle via Alaska to the Soviet Union to chart a possible trans-Siberian airline route. Never a pilot himself, Will loved to fly and traveled to many countries by air.
Rogers’ death caused global shockwaves. In Atlanta, the Peachtree Christian church chimes chanted a requiem service simultaneously with Will’s funeral in Glendale, Calif., one of more than 400 such simultaneous tributes throughout the country. In Los Angeles, flags on all buildings were lowered to half-staff.
His initial fame came because of his amazing…
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