COUNCIL BLUFFS

city, seat (1851) of Pottawattamie county, southwestern Iowa, U.S., on the Missouri River across from Omaha, Neb. The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed there in 1804 and held a powwow with the Indians at a place called Council Hill or Council Bluff; a monument commemorates this meeting. The original site against the bluffs along the riverbank was settled by Mormons in 1846 and was variously called Miller's Hollow and Council Point. In 1848, upon Brigham Young's petition, it was renamed Kanesville to honour Col. Thomas Kane, who had aided the Mormons in their migrations. After the Mormons left for Utah, the name was changed to Council Bluffs at its incorporation in 1853. Abraham Lincoln designated the city as the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad after his visit in 1859 (the spot where he made this declaration is marked by a granite monument), and by 1870 eight railroads had converged there. A railroadagricultural economy prevails, augmented by some industrial (cast-iron pipe, furniture, and playground equipment) development. River transportation is a developing factor. Iowa Western Community College-Council Bluffs Campus opened in 1966. Pop. (1990) 54,315.