Council Bluffs

Council Bluffs, population 56,312, is in southwestern Iowa just east of the Nebraska state line. It lies along Interstate 80. Lake Manawa State Park and the Keg and Missouri rivers are nearby. Called the Crossroads of the American West, many national trails converged in the Council Bluffs area, including the Lewis and Clark, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Oregon trails.

A combination of insurance, telecommunications, agriculture and manufacturing industries helps maintain present-day Council Bluffs' diversified employment base. Three casinos are the largest employers in the area.

Other attractions include the Western Historic Trails Center, dedicated to commemoration and preservation of the national trail heritage; Historic Squirrel Cage Jail, an 1885 "human rotary" lockup, among three remaining examples of the Lazy Susan jails; and the Railroads Golden Spike Monument, a 56-foot gilt, concrete spike erected in 1939 to mark the Union Pacific Railroad's eastern terminus.

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