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Overview

Introduction

The town of Council Bluffs, Iowa, just across the Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska, has long been an important site for westward migration in the U.S. It was the location of many Native American powwows, and in 1804, explorers Merriwether Lewis and William Clark met with representatives of two tribes in the area. This "council" gave the city its name (though it took place 15 mi/25 km north of the where Council Bluffs is now located).

Later, a large Mormon community settled there until most members of the religious group departed for Utah. Council Bluffs subsequently became a supply center for wagon trains headed west and eventually evolved into a major railroad hub.

The town's history is on display at a number of attractions. The Union Pacific Railroad Museum is located in the former Carnegie Library in Council Bluffs. The museum contains plenty of railway memorabilia as well as Union Pacific's signature buffalo, affectionately called "Eugene."

You can also visit the restored home of the man who directed the west-bound construction of the first transcontinental railroad. The General Dodge House, which was built in 1869 by Grenville Mellen Dodge, is now a National Historic Landmark that has been lavishly decorated with original furnishings.

Dodge's wife Ruth Anne is buried in Fairview Cemetery. Her grave is notable for the bronze sculpture, called the Black Angel, that adorns it. The angel was created by Daniel Chester French, who also designed the sculpture of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The town's Mormon period is commemorated at the Kanesville Tabernacle, a replica of a log building used by members of the Latter-Day Saints in the mid-1800s.

Another local landmark is the Pottawattamie County Squirrel Cage Jail, an unusually designed "lazy Susan" prison built in 1885 that consists of a rotating drum containing wedge-shaped cells. To gain access to one of the chambers, the jailer turns a crank to align the cell with an outer doorway.

The RailsWest Railroad Museum contains train memorabilia, historic rail cars and a very large model-train layout.

Gambling is possible in several places in Council Bluffs. Horseshoe is a casino and former greyhound track where you can place sports bests or play the slot machines. Or try your luck at Ameristar Casino or Harrah's Council Bluffs Casino.

About 30 mi/48 km up the river is the De Soto Bend National Wildlife Refuge (Missouri Valley), a stop for migrating ducks and geese (peak viewing months are March-April and October-November). Bald eagles are sometimes sighted at the refuge.

Overview

Introduction

Scottsbluff, Nebraska, is the principal town of the far western part of the state, located 450 mi/725 km west of Omaha.

Travelers know the area mainly for Scotts Bluff National Monument, a massive outcropping rising 800 ft/245 m above the valley floor. It may have been named after Hiram Scott, an early fur trapper who is said to have perished there; it was a major landmark for travelers on the Oregon Trail. A visitors center at the base of the bluff contains some interesting fossil exhibits as well as historic artifacts. Both hikers and motorists can reach the summit, from which you can see west approximately 125 mi/200 km on a clear day.

In nearby Gering, visit Robidoux Trading Post, which re-creates an establishment that specialized in providing goods to the pioneers. Chimney Rock National Historic Site, 19 mi/31 km from Gering, is a rock pinnacle towering 500 ft/150 m above the Platte River. It was yet another landmark for Oregon Trail pioneers. You can get there by car if you want, but it's a lot of fun to take one of the excursions by covered wagon or horseback. Trips lasting one day or four days are available. They leave from Bayard, southeast of Scottsbluff off Highway 92. Gering celebrates Oregon Trail Days in July.

Alliance, 45 mi/70 km northeast of Scottsbluff, is the site of Carhenge, one man's (Jim Reinders') monumental re-creation of England's most famous druidic site. Instead of rough-hewn boulders, Reinders erected 33 gray automobiles (and one ambulance) to resemble the megaliths at Stonehenge. A visitors center sells memorabilia and tells the history of the exhibit.