ABSTRACT
Zona Gale (August 26, 1874-December 27, 1938) was one of those women of the late nineteenth century who saw education and journalism as opportunities for independence. The only daughter of a former schoolteacher and a retired locomotive engineer, she grew up in Portage, a small town in central Wisconsin. She was one of the rst generation of midwestern women to attend a public university, and in 1895 received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin. Gale had written ction throughout her childhood and college years, and while still a student, was approached by a reporter from the Milwaukee Sentinel who asked her to write two articles on university societies. Encouraged by her mother to follow up on this opportunity, she moved to Milwaukee upon her graduation to look for a job with a newspaper.
