Roy Rogers’ Museum Was Inspired By Another Western Icon — Here’s Why It Disappeared

Roy Rogers was rightfully crowned “King of the Cowboys,” and rarely has a bestowed title been more fitting. His storied career included hosting his own radio show for several years, his own television show that ran for more than 100 episodes, a restaurant chain, hit songs, and appearances in nearly 100 films, most of which featured him as a leading man.

Perhaps his proudest milestone was meeting and marrying frequent costar Dale Evans, whom he wed in 1947 after proposing to her during a rodeo in Chicago. The duo was unstoppable both onscreen and off, building a family, running a 168-acre ranch in Chatsworth, California, and eventually opening the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum nearby in Apple Valley, California, in 1967.