Known as a "Gateway to the American West," Council Bluffs has a rich and proud history. The fabric of Council Bluffs' history is woven with the lives of prominent citizens, explorers, pioneers, fur trappers and traders, missionaries, great Indian nations and monumental events, which helped forge the western expansion of our country.
French and Spanish explorers and enterprising traders traversed the Council Bluffs area for nearly a century before Meriwether Lewis and William Clark navigated along the Missouri River encamping five days at White Catfish Camp, known today as Long's Landing, to "rest and repair." Traveling upstream, their expedition later met with the Missouria and Otoe Indians, 10 miles north of Omaha. This historic area, known as "councile bluff," provided the model for future meetings with Native Americans – hence the name of our city.
Lewis & Clark's trail wasn't the only one to pass through our area. There was a big wave of western migration between 1841 and 1866 along the Oregon Trail. Council Bluffs was one of the "jumping off" places where pioneers could outfit their rigs to trek westward. The years between 1846 and 1852 Council Bluffs (then Kanesville) became headquarters to a large number of Mormon pioneers. Like Lewis & Clark's party, they rested, repaired and waited while more of their followers made their way here before heading out to the "promised land." The Latter-Day-Saints made a substantial contribution by building and settling much of Council Bluffs. They built schools, businesses, published newspapers, established the local government and a post office. During this six-year period they were also responsible for establishing 50 settlements in western Iowa.
While building up Council Bluffs and getting ready to move on to Utah, in 1849 the Mormons' helped outfit more trail blazers who were heading west on the California "Gold Rush" Trail. These 49ers were in a hurry to reach California and strike it rich. Council Bluffs was an important stop along the way – to stock up on supplies for their long journey.
In 1859, attorney Abraham Lincoln visited Council Bluffs, where he met railroad surveyor Grenville M. Dodge. Dodge was later dubbed the "greatest railroad builder of all time." The two men developed a long-standing friendship, sharing visions of a coast-to-coast railroad. Later, President Lincoln designated Council Bluffs as the "eastern terminus" for the nation's first transcontinental railroad. A leading citizen of Council Bluffs, Dodge served as a Civil War General, Congressman, and an advisor to Presidents Lincoln, Grant, Andrew Johnson, Hayes, McKinley, T. Roosevelt and Taft.
His elegant, Victorian-style home, where four presidents were guests while the General was still alive, is open to the public for tours. A National Historic Landmark, the fully restored Dodge house has become one of Council Bluffs' most cherished historic attractions.
Rail service came to Council Bluffs in 1862. Eventually, our city would be served by seven railroads and become the great mail-handling terminal for the American West. Before long, the rails helped transform Council Bluffs into a bustling center of commerce. In fact, in 1954, railroading supported one quarter of the city's population, and our city ranked the fifth largest railroad center in the nation.
To pay tribute to our illustrious past, we've incorporated many of our historical elements into our downtown Streetscape Project, including decorative, brick walkways and mosaic tiles, historic lamp posts, street signs, clock tower, two historic fountains and our new Bayliss Park fountain and plaza.
Today, as it was in the past, Council Bluffs is growing and expanding to meet the needs of its citizens – economically, recreationally and socially. Our businesses have made an impact at both the national and international level. Local industry includes everything from specialized sound equipment to teleservices, insurance, printing, robotic systems and sophisticated telecommunications equipment along with a Fortune 500 major food processing center, producing several nationally known consumer labels, and mostly recently the addition of a Google data center currently under construction.
The trails take on a different meaning in our city these days. Council Bluffs has nearly 22-miles of continuous walking/bicycling trails, with future plans for expansion. Construction is underway for a pedestrian bridge across the Missouri River to Omaha – continuing the trail westward.
In fact, Council Bluffs was named Iowa's Tourism Community in 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2005. The community's three casinos attract more than 10 million visitors annually, placing Council Bluffs among the top 20 gaming resort destinations in the country.
- Courtesy of the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitor's Bureau
