If it wasn't for Grenville Dodge, Omaha and Council Bluffs would be different.  A whole lot different.  It was all about the railroads, and it is because of Dodge they came here to the extent they did.  By the late 1860′s Grenville M. Dodge was not only a nationally known and respected military general, railroad builder, and politician, he was one of the wealthiest citizens of Iowa.

The country revolved around railroads and Council Bluffs had them. But the tale isn't just about steel rails and flanged wheels: it's about the creation of the West. Council Bluffs is where the east ended.

She doesn't look like she's trying to kill you. So why do people think she is so creepy?  Maybe the angel is ashamed.  The Dodge family spent a fortune to have her made by Daniel Chester French, the most expensive sculptor in the country, but were so embarrassed by a scandal over her model they didn't even hold a public dedication.

August, 1859.  Abraham Lincoln climbed the tall hill to this spot.  He stood silent for a moment, then stretched his long arm out, pointed west and proclaimed, "That valley was made for railroads."  Four years later the first tracks were laid in what was the most monumental project ever attempted by mankind.

Legendary painter Grant Wood's career didn't start with American Gothic.  He honed his skills right here in Council Bluffs.  His works are on permanent display in the gallery at PACE, 1001 South 6th Street.

A P-51 Mustang "Gunfighter" and an AT-6 Texan as well as hundreds of airplanes and Air Force artifacts are home at the Great Plains Wing Commemorative Air Force Museum.  The museum is in a hangar at the Council Bluffs airport.