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Old Pottawattamie County Jail, Council BluffsSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:dako.jpg
Author: Muka
The area that becomes present-day Council Bluffs was first settled in 1838 by Sauganash, who is of an Irish father and a Mohawk mother. He had led a band of Pottawatomie Native Americans to the east side of the Missouri River. At that time, encroachment by European-Americans into the area forced more and more Native Americans to resettle in the Council Bluffs area.
Coming to minister to the natives was Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, who witnessed the many social ills of the Native Americans. He tried with little success to convert them to Christianity.
In 1948, the town was given the name Kanesville, after benefactor Thomas L. Kane. It was only renamed Council Bluffs in 1852. The city was the starting point of the Emigrant Trail. Mormons also left from here on their march to Utah.
Thomas E Cavin House, Council BluffsSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cavin_150_Park_C_Bluffs_IA.jpg
Author: Smallbones
Today Council Bluff is a grain transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural land. To prop up its economy, the state of Iowa liberalized its gambling laws, enabling Council Bluffs to be the 19th largest casino market in the country.
Visiting Council Bluffs
Interstate 80 and 29 are the main highways connecting Council Bluff with the rest of the country. The I-80 runs east-west, connecting it with Omaha to the west and Des Moines to the east. The I-29 runs north-south, connecting it with Sioux City to the north and St Joseph to the south.
O.P. Wickham House, Council BluffsSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OP_Wickham_616_C_Bluffs_IA.jpg
Author: Smallbones
Places of Interest in Council Bluffs
- Casinos of Council Bluffs
Among the casinos in Council Bluffs include Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs, Harrah's Council Bluffs and Horseshoe Council Bluffs. - RailsWest Railroad Museum
Railway museum at South Main Street and Sixteenth Avenue. - Old Pottawattamie County Jail
In use from 1885until 1969, this is one of the three remaining examples of a Rotary Jail, and is toady listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Popularly known as the Squirrel Cage Jail. - Union Pacific Museum
Museum occupying the building that was once the Council Bluffs Free Public Library.
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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.
While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.
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