Nope, it’s not a coincidence that Secretary Reed shares his name with Reed Island, that tiny piece of land located in Lower Columbia River – it’s where his family settled  more than 120 years ago!

The 508-acre island was founded in 1885 by Secretary Reed’s great grandparents, William and Myrta Reed. Ownership of Reed Island stayed in the family until 1954 when the land was given to Washington State. In 2003, Secretary Reed started discovering stories about his family’s ties to the island. 

Three years later, a memorial sign was erected on the island to detail the island’s history and honor the Reed family. Until this was purchased, the only signage on the island was a small state park sign. 

The island, located off the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, is only accessible by boat. It is now a state park with camp sites, picnic tables and a short hiking trail open to the public year-round.