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The
Historic Pottawattamie County Squirrel Cage Jail
and
The RailsWest Railroad Museum
are now open Tuesday
through Saturday from 10 AM until 4 PM and Sunday from 1 PM to 4 PM,
closed Mondays and major holidays
New displays this season
include artifacts from the Council Bluffs Pierce Street "Red Light
District" at the Squirrel Cage Jail and an expanded display on the Lake
Manawa Railway and Council Bluffs streetcars at the RailsWest Railroad
Museum.
Come visit and see what's new! |
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TOURS
Interested in a
tour of the Historic Squirrel Cage Jail or the RailsWest Railroad Museum?
Contact Us
for Tour Information
GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH
Are you looking for
genealogical information? May we recommend our friends at
the
Pottawattamie County Genealogical Society-Frontier Heritage Library
Phone: 712-325-9368
Email: pcgs@pcgs.omhcoxmail.com
Web site:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~iapcgs/
JOIN THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
We always welcome new
members!
For more information, please visit our membership
page. |
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HSPC
ATTRACTIONS |
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 SQUIRREL
CAGE JAIL
Visit a truly one-of-a-kind structure on the National
Register of Historic Places Served as
the
Pottawattamie County Jail from 1885 until 1969. Always FREE
ADMISSION with membership. CLICK HERE for
hours and admission information.
NEW!
Tales from the Squirrel Cage Jail book
Visit the Squirrel Cage Jail
on Facebook
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 RAILSWEST
RAILROAD MUSEUM
See railroad, postal, and regional memorabilia
in a restored 1899 Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific passenger and freight
depot. Always FREE ADMISSION with membership.
CLICK HERE for hours and admission information.
Visit
Council Bluffs Railroads on Facebook
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 HISTORIC RAIL CAR DISPLAY
Steam engines, a Chicago, Burlington and Quincy club
car, cabooses, and a Railway Post Office car are displayed.
Admission included with visit to RailsWest Railroad Museum. Always FREE ADMISSION
with membership.
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SCALE MODEL RAILROAD DISPLAY
Watch model trains run over a layout styled after
Council Bluffs in the only permanent model railroad exhibit open to
the
public in the metro area. Presented by the Greater Omaha Society
of Model Engineers. Admission included with visit to RailsWest
Railroad Museum. Always FREE ADMISSION with membership.
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ONLINE DISPLAY GALLERY
Council Bluffs
has changed a lot over history. Take a look at some photos from the
Historical Society's archives, featuring the changing scenes of Council
Bluffs.
See these historical photos.
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HAUNTED IN
THE BLUFFS
There are feelings of paranormal goings on at the jail that are other than
mortal. Ghosts? In Council Bluffs?? IN OUR JAIL???
We dare you
to take a look...
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HSPC HISTORY ONLINE |
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RAILROAD HISTORY AND THE ROCK ISLAND DEPOT
The railroads influenced the area's history perhaps more than anything
else. Visit this page for a comprehensive review of Council
Bluffs' evolution as railroad center of the Midwest.
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SQUIRREL CAGE JAIL
Rotary jails were rare -- only 18 were ever built --
and the largest was in Council Bluffs. Our
Squirrel Cage Jail page gives visitor information and you can order a
copy of Tales from the Squirrel Cage Jail
for a more in-depth history of the world's
only three-story rotary jail.
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SAM BAYLISS ON BROADWAY
Trace the life of this early citizen through
his influential role in the building of Council Bluffs and formation of
Omaha. Reprinted by popular request from previous HSPC Newsletters.
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COUNCIL BLUFFS IMPLEMENT DISTRICT
The farm implement trade made several businessmen among the wealthiest and
most prominent residents in town. Every implement firm doing business in
Omaha today started in Council Bluffs.
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EARLY DAYS AT AVOCA
Learn about the early days of Avoca in far northeastern Pottawattamie
County, a town created largely by the railroad and German Immigrants.
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SOME COUNCIL BLUFFS CON-MEN
Ponzi schemes and Nigerian e-mail
scams? Kid stuff compared to what was just all in a days work for a number
of our more colorful residents of days gone by. Council Bluffs helped put
the "Wild" in "Wild West." If you know anyone who thinks local history is
boring, here's an article that will change their mind!
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HSPC MEMBER SERVICES |
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