Kaitlyn McConnell - Ozarks Alive

Kaitlyn McConnell is a seventh-generation Ozarker, journalist, and history enthusiast. She grew up in Marshfield, Missouri, and began chronicling the Ozarks when she was 17 years old. Through writing the “Landmarks” column for The Marshfield Mail, Kaitlyn tracked down nearly 80 different historic sites in Webster County for the paper’s readers. The column resulted in her selection as The History Channel’s Student of the Year in 2007.

Today she writes about the region through Ozarks Alive, a web-based culture and history preservation project that she founded in 2015. During this program, Kaitlyn will share more about the site and its work, thoughts behind it, and some of the most interesting stories she’s written about along the way. 

In addition to writing about the Ozarks through Ozarks Alive, Kaitlyn works as the Writer in Residence for the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, and with Missouri State University Libraries on projects related to the region. Currently, corporate and organizational partners are now helping support Ozarks Alive and its work including Finley Farms, Great Southern Bank, the Missouri Folk Arts Program, the Springfield Daily Citizen, and Silver Dollar City.

Get to know Katilyn here: Ozarks Alive

Learn about Cave Spring Memorial Church

Want to take a trip to Ozark County, & Douglas County, Missouri?

Hear a story about the "Maid of Roaring River."