The Jonesboro Sun

The Jonesboro Sun has a history that dates back more than a century. The paper was owned by the Troutt family for almost 100 years and by a subsidiary of The Paxton Media Group since Oct. 1, 2000. W.O. Troutt left his home near Paducah, Ky., in 1884 and a few weeks later wound up on a farm north of Jonesboro. He later moved to Brinkley and joined a vaudeville troupe, learning to take photographs while working as a stagehand. He ended up in the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) and made his living taking photographs of Indian families. In 1899 he purchased a weekly newspaper in Spiro, Indian Territory, with the savings from his photography business and a mule that his father-in-law gave him. He later learned that the Craighead County Weekly Sun in Jonesboro was for sale and acquired the newspaper in 1901. In 1903 Troutt decided to convert the weekly to a six-day daily publication and changed the name to the Jonesboro Evening Sun. A Sunday edition was added in 1968, and the name was changed to The Jonesboro Sun. The Sun dropped the afternoon editions and began publishing each morning in 1982. W.O. Troutt died in 1948, but the family tradition was carried on by his two sons, grandson and great-grandsons until the decision was made to sell the newspaper to The Paxton Media Group, headquartered in Paducah.