Historic Council Bluffs, Iowa
Posted by: 
KG1960
N 41° 24.098 W 095° 39.497
15T E 277786 N 4586754
A historic marker about Council Bluffs, IA, in a rest area along I-80 in western Iowa
Waymark Code: WMWGQ
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 10/26/2006
Views: 100
This historic marker is in the eastbound rest area along I-80 at mile marker approximately 20 near Council Bluffs. I don't know if a similar one is in the westbound rest area.
The front side says:
HISTORIC COUNCIL BLUFFS
The council Bluffs area was the scene of such important events in Iowa history as the explorations of Lewis and Clark, the Mormon Trail, the Missouri River steamboat traffic and the railroad industry. Francois Guittar established the first white settlement here at Traders Point in 1824. When the Mormons arrived in 1846 they called the community Kanesville. By special charter in 1853 the State Legislature changed the name to Council Bluffs. The name derives from a council held by Lewis and Clark with the Indians in 1804 on the west side of the river near here.
The first steamboat landed in the area in 1819. For the next several decades hundreds of steamboats docked in Council Bluffs, bringing people and goods for their westward journey on the Oregon and California trails and to the western gold fields. In 1856, Congress authorized four railroads to traverse Iowa from east to west. Two of these were to terminate in Council Bluffs, the Northwestern from Lyons and the Rock Island from Davenport. This emphasis on transportation has not changed, and today Council Bluffs is served by two Interstate highways, 80 and 29.
The second side says:
NOTED COUNCIL BLUFFS RESIDENTS
In 1854, Grenville M. Dodge made Council Bluffs his home. General Dodge, a Civil War soldier and United States Congressman, was perhaps best known as the chief construction engineer for several railroads, including the Union Pacific. Council Bluffs was the eastern terminus of this line, and when the Union Pacific joined with the Central Pacific in 1869, the first transcontinental railroad in the United States was completed.
Amelia Jenks Bloomer, an early resident, was a women's suffrage leader of national reputation. In addition to giving her name to a new style of clothing for women, she also wrote widely in periodicals during the 1850s and 1860s and was a popular lecturer on temperance and women's rights.
Another famous resident of Council Bluffs was Dr. Lee de Forest, known for his invention of the three electrode vacuum tube and more than 300 other patents. His inventions were significant in the development of the radio and electronics industries during the early 20th century.
Visit Instructions:
Must state something other than
Yep!" or "Been Here" give some insight.
Picture is required with your log. Thanks!