Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: The Life and Times of Lucile Morris Upton

Lucile Morris Upton landed her first newspaper job out West in the early 1920s, then returned home to spend half a century reporting on the Ozarks world she knew best. Having come of age just as women gained the right to vote, she took advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves in a changing world. During her years as a journalist, Upton rubbed shoulders with presidents, flew with aviation pioneer Wiley Post, covered the 20th century’s worst single killing of U.S. police officers, wrote an acclaimed book on the Bald Knobbers vigilante group, charted the growth of Ozarks tourism and spearheaded a movement to preserve iconic regional history sites. Following retirement from her newspaper career, she put her experience to good use as a community activist and member of the Springfield City Council. Told largely through Upton’s own words, Susan Croce Kelly’s insightful biography captures the excitement of front lines newsgathering in the days when the whole world depended on newspapers to learn of current events.