Council Bluffs History

[Coyote]

Two Malls in the Bluffs



Council Bluffs Revealed

The 1960s were tough on downtowns. Suburban sprawl sent buyers to the spacious parking lots and gleaming new stores of the shopping malls. In Council Bluffs it was even worse; an incredible 77% of business was being lost to Omaha. In an attempt to counter this the city embarked on one of the boldest urban renewal projects in the country. This video looks at that urban renewal plan, Midlands Mall, and the arrival of Mall of the Bluffs.

This brief overview is based on newspaper clippings, documents, and interviews conducted by the author in the 1970s. For those seeking more information, a concise but detailed look at urban renewal can found in the book "Upstream Metropolis" (Larsen, Cottrell, Dalstom and Dalstrom, University of Nebraska Press, 2007).

[Coyote]

Silver Screens of the Bluffs



Council Bluffs Revealed

Once upon a time watching a movie wasn’t just watching a movie, it was a night out at the theater. Council Bluffs has had many movie houses. This video looks primarily at those of the past half century: Strand, Crest, Broadway, CB Drive-In, Midlands Four, and Mall of the Bluffs Five.

[Coyote]

Council Bluffs: Where the East Ended




Council Bluffs Revealed

Everyone in Council Bluffs knows something of the Abraham Lincoln/General Dodge story, but how did that meeting happen to occur? If Council Bluffs is milepost zero of the Transcontinental Railroad, why were the tracks laid out of Omaha and the UP headquarters built there? And why didn't the town become the size of Chicago as some predicted? A Historical Society leader once counseled, "If you want to understand the history of Council Bluffs, then study the history of the railroads... because the two are the same thing.” Given that, consider this video Council Bluffs History 101. In this program Brenda Mainwaring succinctly summarizes the tale of those events that shaped the future of the metro area more than anything ever has. During her 23 years with Union Pacific Ms. Mainwaring was involved in the creation of Council Bluffs' Union Pacific Railroad Museum. She is currently president and CEO of the Iowa West Foundation.

[skinzfan23]

Thanks for posting these videos, I have seen them online, but they are a great history moment for CB.