The Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum was a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

last located in

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, Missouri, Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County, Missouri, Stone County. Branson is in the Ozarks, Ozark Mountain ...

, focused on the careers of

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), nicknamed the King of the Cowboys, was an American singer, actor, television host, and Rodeo, rodeo performer. Following early work under his given name, first as a c ...

and

Dale Evans Dale Evans Rogers (born Frances Octavia Smith; October 31, 1912 – February 7, 2001) was an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She was the second wife of singing cowboy film star Roy Rogers. Early life and career Dale Evans was born ...

, stars of radio, film and television. The museum was open from 1967 until 2009, at three locations in California and Missouri.

History

Rogers took the idea of building a museum after visiting the Will Rogers Museum in 1938 and finding it with few heirlooms. Rogers decided to start a collection of his own materials and upon retirement in the 1960s put them on display. Two prized and unique possessions of the museum were

Trigger Trigger may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Trigger (''Only Fools and Horses''), in the TV sitcom * Trigger Argee, in science fiction short stories by James H. Schmitz * Devil Trigger, a transformation ability of ...

, Rogers' horse, and Bullet, Rogers' dog, in taxidermy.

Relocations

The Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum was established in its first location in Apple Valley, CA. In 1976 it relocated within California to

Victorville Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810. Victorville is the principal city of a Victor Valley–based urban area defined by the United States Census Bureau: ...

, where it stayed for 27 years. After Rogers's death in 1998, and Evans's in 2001, in 2003 the museum moved to Branson, Missouri, where it stood for 6 years until it closed.

Dissolution at auction

The museum struggled financially during an economic downturn, and the remaining family decided to close its doors on December 12, 2009. The majority of the collection was sold in July 2010 for $2.9 million, with Trigger and Bullet being purchased by a Nebraska-based TV network named RFD. The

Autry National Center The Autry Museum of the American West (Autry National Center) is a museum in Los Angeles, California, dedicated to exploring an inclusive history of the American West. Founded in 1988, the museum presents a wide range of exhibitions and pub ...

acquired key artifacts including newspaper clippings, Rose Parade programs, Roy Rogers Show memorabilia, sheet music, and the rare plastic saddle he used on Trigger. Another significant item that sold in auction was Rogers’ 1964 Pontiac Bonneville for the price of $254,500. Artist

Nudie Cohn Nuta Kotlyarenko (; December 15, 1902 – May 9, 1984), known professionally as Nudie Cohn, was a Ukrainian-American tailor who designed decorative rhinestone-covered suits, known popularly as "Nudie Suits", and other elaborate outfits for some ...

, Rogers’ tailor, outfitted the car with silver dollars, chrome-plated pistols, horseshoes, miniature horses and rifles, many of which were functional parts of the car such as door handles, switches and controls.

References

{{reflist American West museums in California History museums in California Women's museums in California Museums established in 1967