Biography

August 31, 1899 · Claremore, Indian Territory, USA [now Oklahoma, USA]

June 30, 1954 · New York City, New York, USA (cancer)

Rollie Lynn Riggs

Inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1965.

Famous playwright and poet Lynn Riggs is most famous for writing the play "Green Grow the lilacs" which was a not too successful 1931 off Broadway play. In 1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein made it into a musical named "Away We Go" which received mixed reviews on its off Broadway introduction. Before the play opened on Broadway some changes were made and a new song called "Oklahoma" was put in for which the play was renamed. "Oklahoma" became a monster musical hit (and later hit film), which ran for a then-astounding 5+ year, 2212-performance run at The St. James Theatre from 1943-1948. The song "Oklahoma" was named the Oklahoma state song in 1953. There is a memorial museum dedicated to Mr Riggs in Claremore, Oklahoma where the original surrey with the fringe on top from the movie resides.

Has a section of Route 66 named after him. It runs through his birthplace, Claremore, Oklahoma.