A New Role

Marquez Knolls Resident Bill Hamm Assumes the Role of Interpreter for Will Rogers State Historic Park

By LILY TINOCO | Assistant Editor

Though he may already be a familiar face to those who have visited Will Rogers State Historic Park in years past, one Palisadian has recently taken on a new role at the park.

Marquez Knolls resident Bill Hamm is now the park’s interpreter, charged with running the ranch house, the docent program and plenty more.

Predating his time at the park, Hamm told the Palisadian-Post he worked in the entertainment business for over a decade, previously holding positions at Ghost House Pictures, Starz Media, Cap Gun Collective and more. Sometime in between, he took a tour of the park and subsequently pursued training to become a docent volunteer in 2018.

“As the entertainment business went through, it’s called the digital divide … it had its own big changes and wasn’t quite the same,” Hamm recalled. “I worked on the creative side of the business. I really loved it, but as the business moved to streaming, it wasn’t quite as fun or as interesting. I was between gigs and took a docent training over at the Getty Villa, and I really enjoyed that.

“I thought if I can make antiquities interesting for students, I probably could do even better when it comes to Will Rogers … My love of movies and all media … fits in really well with Will Rogers … He was the first multimedia superstar.”

Prior to joining the park, Hamm said he toured it as a Palisadian, and with his mother and father, who was a fan of Rogers. His father has since died, so Hamm said becoming a docent was an homage to the time he spent at the park with him.

Hamm earned a degree in museum studies from California State University, Long Beach, during the COVID-19 pandemic and now acts “as the public face” of the park after being promoted in January to its full-time interpreter.

“I have grown to become such a huge admirer of Will Rogers, he was a wonderful human being,” Hamm said to the Post. “He was a very philanthropic and giving man … We need more people like Will Rogers today.”

By the 1930s, Rogers became known as one of Hollywood’s most popular and highest paid actors, and “America’s most beloved citizen,” according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation website.

“From his start in vaudeville theater with a trick roping act, he rose to world-wide fame as a columnist, ‘cowboy philosopher,’ aviation enthusiast, philanthropist, radio personality and movie star,” according to the website. “During the 1920s, he bought land in Santa Monica, where he developed a ranch. Eventually, Will Rogers owned about 359 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in what is now known as … Pacific Palisades.”

The ranch became a space for Rogers, his family and friends to enjoy. His 31-room ranch house still holds his memorabilia and things he owned up until his death in 1935.

The house has a corresponding neighboring guest house, stable, corrals, riding ring, roping arena, polo field, golf course and riding trails. His wife, Betty Rogers, donated the ranch to California State Parks in 1944, and it became a state historic park.

Common activities to enjoy at the park today include guided tours of the ranch house, traversing the hiking trails, horse riding lessons and trail rides, polo games, movies in the park, and more.

Hamm said one recent challenge he was tasked with was moving the museum out of the pandemic.

“It was really relaunching the tours in a safe and still-interesting way,” he explained. “We did have it shut down for about two months without anybody there … Finally, in July of 2021, we reopened the house … It’s been a process.”

Since then, Hamm has been responsible for overseeing all interpretation, including in-person visits from Los Angeles Unified School District students, as well as virtual tours to students who live as far away as Chicago and New York.

“We’re obviously not over COVID, but we’re under a bit more control of it, and we’re pretty much fully functional [now] and looking forward to [future] public events,” Hamm said.

Of future events, Hamm said he looks forward to inviting the community to an event that appeals to families in the spring as well as a movie night for cinema fans in the fall.

“I like to think I bring a little bit of show business to the museum experience,” Hamm said. “We will have some speakers from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to talk about the context of Will Rogers’ movies. He was a prolific movie star—most people don’t even realize it.”

Hamm said a lineup of public events is being held in preparation for the park’s centennial celebration, which is said to be in the works.

“Just as the Palisades had [its] 100th anniversary in 2022, Will’s 100th anniversary of coming to the Palisades will happen somewhere in the next four years,” he said to the Post.

Hamm invited the community to share their photos or keepsakes from visiting the park for a historical collection that is slated to be presented at the park’s centennial.

“I want to do some sort of exhibit before the 100th anniversary of the people that have worked and contributed to making the park a success,” Hamm said of the project, “in the context of visiting the house and what it looked like in the ’60s, ’70s.”

For those looking to get involved with the park, Hamm said he is also seeking interested community members to join the Will Rogers State Historic Park team. The park is opening its docent training of four Saturdays in March to individuals 18 years or older, beginning March 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

“There’s plenty to do … It’s learning the history of the house, the history of Will Rogers—both his career and his family,” Hamm said of the volunteer position. “And we give you instructions on how to lead an interesting and compelling tour of the ranch house … You don’t have to be an expert tour guide, we will provide all that material for you and help you practice.

“It really is a family that we have here. It’s the chance to be a part of this family and … help spread the word of a great man, Will Rogers.”

Those interested in getting involved or visiting Will Rogers State Historic Park can call 310-230-2017 or drop by the visitor’s office Wednesday through Sunday.