Will Rogers birthplace under renovation, fly-in returns next year

Renovations at the birthplace of Will Rogers led to the cancellation of the Will Rogers / Wiley Post Fly-In for 2025, but the event will return next year, with the ranch house open after repairs.

Restoration of Historic Property

The Cherokee Nation purchased the Dog Iron Ranch from the State of Oklahoma in 2023 for $1 million and has undertaken a complete restoration of the property, beginning with the house, built in 1875, and moved to the present location in the 1960s. Substantial termite damage and wood rot have led to an interior demolition of the floors and windows, which is ongoing.

Ranch House Part of Will's Origin Story

Keith Austin, a former Cherokee Councilor now advising the Nation on historical issues, says the plan is to have the house remodeled and open by the end of the year, with displays that tell the story of the Rogers family and the early days of Will.

"This property is where Will Rogers learned to ride horses, and this is the property where Will Rogers learned to use a rope, so this is the property where Will became the Will Rogers everybody knows," he said.

Cherokees Hope to Preserve Will's Legacy

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said while the cost of the renovation was still to be determined, "We don't want to take a half measure here, because Will Rogers' legacy deserves a full measure."

He said the Cherokee Nation was working to create a fuller understanding of the impact the Rogers family had on the Cherokee Nation, in the period just after the Civil War, when large-scale ranching was taking hold on Cherokee land.

"Hopefully, people leave with a deeper understanding of Will Rogers, the Cherokee Nation, and this part of the world," said Hoskin.