The Journal

Bridge Renamings Honor Area Residents for Jackson County’s 175^th Anniversary

By William Hader, Kevin Arnold, Ricky Rodgers, Hannah Parrot, and Tara Gunderson

Jackson County’s 175^th Anniversary “Challenges and Triumphs, 1826-2001” has concluded. The Jackson County Historical Society and Katheryn Shields, Jackson County Executive, successfully completed—individually and collectively—a variety of events and activities for the public enjoyment and education during the past year.

The celebration began last autumn with the sold-out world premier of Breath of an American Spirit: Sacagawea at Kansas City’s Coterie Theater. Since that time, the Historical Society installed two, large temporary exhibits that showcased photographs and artifacts from the Society’s holdings; sponsored more than 20 history-related presentations around the metro; broadcast versions of Jackson County, Missouri’s 175-Year History in a Nutshell at its 2001 annual membership meeting and program, on its website, in the JOURNAL, in the September 2002 issue of 50 & Better, and in a 12-page booklet that will be published before the County’s 176^th birthday on December 15, 2002.

The Historical Society collaborated with the Shields to create and launch Jackson County’s 175 Legacy List of 175 people selected who symbolize the spirit and initiative in every one of us who have triumphed over life’s challenges. The Legacy List, as mentioned in previous JOURNAL articles, is an attempt to raise an awareness of the importance of documenting and preserving our own individual contributions to American, and, indeed, local history.

When we think of having overcome a challenge, one allusion is that we have crossed a bridge. It just so happened that Jackson County Public Works recently reconstructed two new bridges that needed to be named, so the Historical Society and the County Executive sponsored essay competitions to name the bridges on Liggett Road at Lake Jacomo in Blue Springs and on Buckner-Tarsney Road in Grain Valley. Students had the opportunity to learn about the collections in the Jackson County Historical Society, to gain hands-on experience into historical research, and to relate local and regional history in the context of American History.

We are proud to present the winning essays by leading Blue Springs students (William Hader and Kevin Arnold) who successfully renamed the Jeremiah F. Baird Bridge, and Grain Valley students (Ricky Rodgers, Hannah Parrot, and Tara Gunderson), who helped to rename the William Rockhill Nelson bridge. Their essays are lead features in the Autumn 2002 JOURNAL of the Jackson County Historical Society.

William Rockhill Nelson