Darrel E. Miller was an accomplished country newspaper publisher, editor, news reporter and photographer. He edited Kansas newspapers for more than a half century, served as president of the Kansas Press Association in 2002-03, was awarded the KPA’s Clyde M. Reed Jr. Master Editor Award in 2002, and was inducted into the Kansas Press Association’s Hall of Fame in 2009. His hobby was Kansas history, and he compiled and edited seven books. Darrel passed away in July 2017 at the age of 87.
Darrel is pictured, at left, in front of the Stars & Stripes newspaper office in Darmstadt, Germany, in 1951.
2nd Edition of Waconda Land Available on Amazon
The 2nd Edition of Darrel Miller’s history book, Waconda Land, first published in 1989, is now for sale on Amazon. Re-published in February of 2020 by his daughter, Lara Ketter, the book includes all of the original articles plus 60 more discovered by Darrel during his retirement. The book includes legends and pioneers’ accounts of settling the land in the Waconda Spring area of North Central Kansas in the 1870s through articles gleaned from newspapers of the time. The Great Spirit Spring was located just east of where the North Solomon and South Solomon Rivers joined to form the Solomon River. The spring is now covered by Waconda Lake. Indians revered the spring for its magical healing powers, and settlers found the site fascinating.
