James A. Reed Road is near the Blue Ridge Branch. My husband and I like going to the James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area so my husband can take photographs. As we roamed around the area the other day, I started to wonder, "Who is James A. Reed?"

As it turns out, James A. Reed was born in Ohio in 1861 and moved to Kansas City in 1887 where he made a name for himself as a lawyer and local politician. After finding out more about him, I can understand why his name is on so many things around town.