Will Rogers, World Citizen
Will Rogers was perhaps the most famous person in the world during his lifetime. He was an entertainer, a writer, an actor, and a trusted voice. His humble Oklahoma roots and charming wit made this Cherokee citizen a household name by the time of his untimely death in 1935. Because of his fame and his journey from the homestead to Hollywood, Route 66 was given the nickname of the Will Rogers Highway.
Will Rogers has traveled the world…and now you can take him with you! You never know when you’ll run into someone who knows him.
Share your photos using the hashtag #FlatWill and learn more about his life and legacy below. If you find yourself in Claremore, be sure to visit the Will Rogers Memorial Museum and the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch.
In 2025, Will Rogers State Historic Park suffered a devastating loss when Will’s home and stables were burned to the ground in the Palisades Fire. The Will Rogers Ranch Foundation is working to continue Will’s legacy in California and we hope you’ll be able to visit the park again soon.
Flat Will can be ordered from our website or he can picked up at various locations - check out the list below! You can also color your own Will Rogers; find him in our Trip Guide!
Flat Will is Route 66 Centennial Certified. The Route 66 Centennial Certification Program is an Official Route 66 Centennial Project as designated by the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission. Per the Commission's recommendation, the program is implemented by the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program in collaboration with the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership, a registered 501(c)(3), not-for-profit.
About the Artist
Flat Will was designed by Cherokee Artist Tom Farris of Norman. Tom has been immersed in American Indian art his entire life. The child of passionate collectors, Farris spent a good deal of his formative years in various museums, galleries and artists' homes. Having such intimate contact with the genre, Tom found inspiration for his own growing artistic aptitude. A member of the Cherokee Nation and Otoe-Missouria tribe, he draws from his culture and his life-long influence of American Indian art to create his works.
Farris has a great deal of professional experience in the business of American Indian Art. He has served as the Assistant Director of the Oscar Jacobson Foundation and Native Art Center, the creator and manager of the Cherokee Art Market, owner and operator of the Standing Buffalo Indian Art Gallery & Gifts, manager of Exhibit C Gallery & Gifts and most recently the Director of Retail Operations at First Americans Museum. His credits also include a number of judging honors including the Red Earth Festival Art Show, Cherokee Heritage Center's Trail of Tears and Cherokee Homecoming shows.
As a professional artist Farris has been honored to participate in and has received awards from a number of nationally acclaimed art shows including: The South Eastern Art Show and Market, The Cherokee Art Market, The Artesian Art Market, The Trail of Tears Art Show, The Indigenous Fine Art Market, The Eiteljorg Indian Art Market, Red Earth, The Artesian Art Market and The Southwestern Association of Indian Artists Santa Fe Market, where most recently, we was awarded the Ingenuity Award for his reimagined slot machine titled Tools of the Trade. He has exhibited at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. and New York City. His work appears in numerous major private collections and the permanent collections of the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana and the Sam Noble Natural History Museum in Norman, Oklahoma.
Where to Get Flat Will
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