The Will Rogers Turnpike is a toll road in northeast Oklahoma that runs from Tulsa, Oklahoma to the Missouri state line. It is 88 miles (142 km) long and costs $4.00 to drive one way. The Will Rogers Turnpike opened to traffic on June 28, 1957 and was designated as I-44 in 1958 along with the Turner Turnpike connecting Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

Because the Will Rogers Turnpike was built prior to authorization of the Interstate Highway System (in 1956), it uses a different set of design standards than are now current. As the road has been rebuilt, this is being brought in line with current design practice.

The original route of the Turnpike continued straight into and through Tulsa, becoming Skelly Drive in town (where tolls are not charged). In recent years with construction of the Creek Turnpike, the westernmost portion of the Will Rogers Turnpike was deleted so that the Creek and Will Rogers Turnpikes essentially form one road, with motorists required to exit at a standard cloverleaf interchange to stay on I-44. The new alignment adds over a mile of additional travel to motorists and truckers wishing to continue on I-44, encouraging them to instead remain on a toll facility for the duration of their journey (The Creek Turnpike takes a very roundabout route around Tulsa). The old pavement is now used as a training ground for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, among others.

William Penn Adair "Will" Rogers (November 4, 1879 - August 15, 1935) was an American cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist, social commentator and motion picture actor. He was one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s.

Known as Oklahoma's favorite son, Rogers was born to a prominent Cherokee Nation family in Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma). He traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies (50 silent films and 21 "talkies"), wrote more than 4,000 nationally-syndicated newspaper columns, and became a world-famous figure. By the mid-1930s, Rogers was adored by the American people. He was the leading political wit of the Progressive Era, and was the top-paid Hollywood movie star at the time. Rogers died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post, when their small airplane crashed in Alaska.

His vaudeville rope act led to success in the Ziegfeld Follies, which in turn led to the first of his many movie contracts. His 1920s syndicated newspaper column and his radio appearances increased his visibility and popularity. Rogers crusaded for aviation expansion, and provided Americans with first-hand accounts of his world travels. His earthy anecdotes and folksy style allowed him to poke fun at gangsters, prohibition, politicians, government programs, and a host of other controversial topics in a way that was readily appreciated by a national audience, with no one offended. His aphorisms, couched in humorous terms, were widely quoted: "I am not a member of an organized political party. I am a Democrat."