Juliet V. Strauss

Juliet Virginia Strauss (January 7, 1863 – May 22, 1918) was an American journalist and public speaker from Rockville, Indiana, who was a leader in efforts to generate public and state government support to establish Turkey Run State Park in Parke County, Indiana. It was established in 1916 as Indiana's second state park. She began her journalism career as a regular newspaper columnist at the Rockville Tribune, where she wrote a daily column called "Squibs and Sayings" from 1893 until her death in 1918. From 1903 until 1918, she also wrote a weekly column for the Indianapolis News using the pseudonym of "The Country Contributor." In addition, Strauss authored "The Ideas of a Plain Country Woman," a monthly column for the Ladies' Home Journal from 1905 until 1918. A collection of her articles was published as The Ideas of a Plain Country Woman. Strauss was a founder of the Woman's Press Club of Indiana in 1913, and in 1922, the group dedicated a statue in Strauss's honor at Turkey Run State Park in recognition of her effort to protect its natural beauty.

Early life and education Juliet Virginia Humphries, the second of four daughters, was born in Rockville, Indiana, on January 7, 1863, to William and Susan (King) Humphries, who were pioneer farmers in rural Parke County, Indiana. Humphries' father gave her nickname of "Gypsy" (later shortened to "Gyp"). After William Humphries' death in 1867, Susan Humphrey raised their children on her own.

Humphries attended local public schools in Rockville and was a lifelong resident of the town. She began writing for the Rockville Tribune newspaper while still in her teens. One of her first articles, "At the Rink," was published in the Tribune in 1880 under the pseudonym of "La Gitani" (the gypsy).

Marriage and family Juliet Humphries married Isaac R. Strouse on December 22, 1881. (Although her husband spelled his surname as Strouse, she always used the German spelling of Strauss.) In 1882 he became co-owner with John H. Beadle of the Rockville Tribune and the full owner of the newspaper in 1889. Their daughter, Marcia F. S. Ott, later became a columnist for the Rockville Republican. The family's home in Rockville was known to Strauss's readers as "Grouch Place."

Career Strauss's career from 1893 to her death in 1918 included work as a newspaper and magazine columnist, author, and public speaker. Through her writing, she promoted the positive aspects of country life, rural traditions, motherhood, and a woman's role as a homemaker.

Journalist The demands of Strauss's home and family life limited her time for writing, but she was determined to pursue a career as a journalist. Strauss began as an editorial columnist at the Rockville Tribune. Her regular weekly column, "Squibs and Sayings," first appeared on February 9, 1893. The column's primary audience was women and it included her thoughts on daily life in rural Indiana. In addition to writing, Strauss was an associate editor at the Tribune and helped to manage it.

Strauss's column at the Rockville Tribune contained a mix of stories ranging from commentary on magazine advertisements to women bicyclists and her humorous musings on married life. Although a rival newspaper in Rockville was critical of Strauss and her writing, the locals enjoyed it. She also received encouragement in the early years of her career from other Hoosier writers such as poet James Whitcomb Riley; author and editor John Clark Ridpath; and George S. Cottman, who founded in 1905 the quarterly publication, the Indiana Magazine of History. Cottman praised Strauss's ability to describe early life in Indiana, which was a special interest of hers.

Beginning November 1903 and continuing until her death in 1918, Strauss wrote a regular weekly column for the Indianapolis News as "The Country Contributor." Her first article in the News, "The Short and Simple Annals of the Poor," was published on November 21, 1903. Her final weekly column, "In Defense of Exaggeration," was published on May 25, 1918, two days after her death.

The Ladies' Home Journal began publishing Strauss's monthly column, "The Ideas of a Plain Country Woman," in November 1905. The column continued until her death in 1918 and gained her national attention as a journalist. Curtis Publishing Company also published a collection of her Journal columns as The Ideas of a Plain Country Woman in 1906. Strauss also urged Richard Smith, managing editor of the Indianapolis News, to help promote the effort to save Turkey Run. In addition, Indiana conservationist Richard Lieber was interested in protecting the state's forests and developing a state park system.

As members of the Turkey Run Commission, Strauss and Lieber lead the efforts to preserve Turkey Run as a state park. Strauss, Lieber, and their colleagues launched a public campaign to increase awareness and persuade members of the public to donate funds to purchase the land at Turkey Run. Strauss wrote articles appearing in the Indianapolis News and Rockville Tribune that described her experiences in rural Parke County and urged others to help preserve its natural landscape. She was also a donor to the park acquisition fund. Turkey Run became Indiana's second state park following the earlier acquisition in 1916 of McCormick's Creek Canyon in Owen County, Indiana, to create McCormick's Creek State Park.

Selected published works The Ideas of a Plain County Woman (1906).