Show COUNCIL BLUFFS COUNCIL BLUFFS co la ia 1 october 2 1898 ot of the many localities within the borders of the united states outside of utah where the latter day saints have figured as aa the first sett settler lerik no place has bae grown to the dimensions that council bluffs has baa it owes owea its original existence as aa a town to the tact fact that the saints saint who had located temporarily at winter quarters on the west bank of the missouri river were ordered out by the indian agent in 1848 under the protest that the oma it ha indians on whose lauds lands winter quarters stood objected to the Mor mors occupying their country any louger longer consequently those of the saints residing on the west side of the river named who had not already gone to the valley re crossed the missouri and settled in the country ou injian creek in what was first termed Mil millers lerPs hollow near the center of the present oily city of at council bluffs they founded bounded a town which they subsequently named Kanes kanesville ville in honor of the late oen gen thom jj kane other smaller settlements were founded on the dil different streams in the neighbor hood and so extensive and numerous were these settlements settlement ii of the saints that a recently published history of county in which the author alms aims at accuracy and truth very properly gives the mormons cormons credit for being the ve very ry first brat white settlers lix in nearly every township in the county the original settlement called was situated on both sides ot of indian creek between the bluffs about three miles back from the mis river the center of the ibe town was at the point where the present madison or first street adeas into broadway broad way the latter being oneff one of the principal streets of the present city and runs from east to west on the corner of the two streets mentioned 10 lo ie on the south mouth side bide of broadway broad way and went side aide of pint first street stands a two story brick dwelling owned by a lady residing in florida this building which faces a large and fine methodist Meth odise church on the east on the opposite bide of the street occupies the site on OD which stood the old mormon printing office from which the late elder orson hyde issued the frontier guardian the first periodical published in this part of the country the where the old log tabernacle stood blood was on the opposite north side of indian creek but further up the stream on the present washington avenue between harrison carribon Har riBon and benton streets street there is no trace left of that historic building now it was erected in the fall of 1847 and it was then that the conference was held in which brigham young was first sustained stained ou as president of the church it was also there that oliver cowdery bore his last great testimony to a large congregation of saints when he came back to his former friends making asking to be forgiven for him bis transpires sione and to be received back ioto into the church he was frankly tor forgiven given was re baptized and went down to richmond missouri ostensibly for the purpose of bringing the whitmer family his relatives by marriage back into the charob in this how ever he be was not successful he was also called to take a mission to great britain and was making preparations to fill that appointment when lie he took sick and died cited at richmond march 8 1860 1850 he was the first of the three witnesses to the book of mormon who passed beyond the vail the old log tabernacle in kanesville Kanes ville was used for meeting purposes until 1852 when nearly all the saints to in iowa mg migrated rated to the abe great salt lake valley the few families who remained were organized into a branch of the church but instead of holdi holding nir their meetings in the tabernacle which was soon afterwards taken down they held them in a wu wo story log building situate on hyde street the present first street this building which was an only y removed a few years yeara ago also served an a school house bouse court house social hall ball etc the premises are now dow owned by a mr frank levin according to the united states census for 1860 1850 kanesville Kanes ville precinct contained at that time inhabitants inhabitant I 1 whole county these theme were near nearly lyall all lattery day sal ante who mostly went to chevalley be the valley in and 1852 in the meantime other settlers ett lers came to lo but not fast enough to keep up the abe number of inhabitants as an we find and that county after the mormons cormons had left only contained SM inhabitants in 1854 subsequently however the population commenced to increase io orease and there are at present over people in the county of which about one half resides in the city of council bluffs bluffis A history of county published in u 1888 use lias the jo bowing to 10 may ay of the old tow L it is still not difficult to recall the general appearance of council bluffs during the first year of its settlement A gorge partly clothed with timber widened out from the east toward the river this afterward became the broadway of the city crossing it at almost a angle was a street north and nd south or nearly so which lay jay in another ravine and th this istook took the name of 0 hyde street after the mormon bishop of that name this street now improved and altered in every reelect ct to la known as madison on first street A few log jog cabins dotted the elopes of the bluffs on either side aide of the valley of indian creek through which broadway broad way extends tends the greater number of the log houses and nd tents constituting the town were on madison street and until only a few years ago th log houses kept their places in the he march of surrounding improvements indian creek no more then than now a creek but only a brook swelled into a torrent by summer rains or winter snows coiled sluggishly in a narrow channel around the base of the northern slope such then is an outline ol of the nucleus of the present city council bluffs bluff of today has a pleasant location at the foot of the bluffs in an arm rm of the missouri river valley running up between the hills and extending out over the beautiful valley toward the river some three miles distant on the slopes and summits are many one fine residences overlooking an enchanting view for many miles milek up aud and down the river and across on the hills bills of the nebraska side where the city of omaha rises rise on the opposite slope elope the city of council bluffs Is considered the important railroad center on the missouri river above kansas city missouri it to is therefore a commercial point of much importance thero ther being upwards of 0 twenty five trains per day each way the city is supplied by water from the missouri river by the beet system ol oi water works to be found in the west combining two complete systems a direct pressure and a reservoir system the city has a first clues class bono system electric street railways and many other modern improvements Mus quito creek famous in the history of the church as the E tream on chica the mormon battalion was mustered muttered ed into the service ot the united Sta testis only two miles east of council bluffs IL ii rises in shelby county iowa flows in a southeasterly direction and empties into the missouri river abacut ton ten miles south mouth ot of council bluffs keg creek another stream familiar to the mormon pioneer as quite a number ot of them owned temporary homes adjacent to that hat stream also rises in county runs in a south westerly direction passing council bluffs within a distance of about ten miles and emp empties tits into the missouri river in fremont county about thirty miles south of council bluffs A T andreas illustrated historical atlas of the state of iowa published in chicago III ir 1875 hasebe has the following to say concerning council bluffs before the saints settled there in 1846 in the summer of 1804 the celebrated ex explorers 1 borers lewis and dark clark on their way up the missouri river held field i council with the me indiana at the place where fort calhoun was subsequently established ou on the nebraska side of the river about twenty miles above the present ity of council bluffs from this circumstance they gave to that place the n anaf me of council cil bluffs As am early as an 1024 a french trader named hart had bad established a trading house on tte t ne bluffs just above the large spring now known as aa My nater spring VO within the limits of the present city of council bluffs at this time the american fur company had bad established various trading posts in the great northwest anti and this point was known to their employee emp loyes who ascended the river to bacote de hart or hartle bluff the spot was selected for the Sd advantages vantages of the splendid spring of water vater which burst out high up on the bluff and flows down in a volume almost sufficiently strong or propelling machinery ebi nery at that time the missouri river was navigated by a few traders and persons belonging to the fur company having their headquarters in st louis louie and only with small reel boats navigated by hand in 1827 francis guittar Quit tar a frenchman in the employ 0 the american fur far company escami ed with others in the timber at the foot of the bluff where cow broadway with its double row of magnificent business blocks to is located he slid and his companions indulged in the shooting deer elk and buffalo on the prairie now within the city limits he subsequently aub selected this as his home counting the years irom from the date above given others however permanently located here before he did in the 1838 davis hardin an and d family including his bla wife and seven children landed in the county at the point anen known as council point about four miles below the city of council bluffs mr caralu had bad been appointed to act as government farmer among the pottawatomie I 1 andl aus ana who were then about to be removed from the platte purchase in missouri to lows iowa council point is ie now known as harding Hardin le bend bead A few months indians indiana were brought up and mr hardin then removed to where he opened a farm on a little stream known as aa indian creek now in the business of the city his sons gone were john allen alien richard and martin D hardin and became per manent settlor settlers remaining here herb t t hout the time when the region was under mormon control but maintaining very little intercourse with them when the indians indiana were brought up a number of white persons came also including LiS ti aders ders agents and other government employee emp loyes the indians indiana scattered in various portions of the adjacent country but received their govern ment annuities and supplies at council point and traders bradera point a few miles below the present city in 1839 two companies of came up and built a block house or sort ot of tort fort on the bluff lu in the east part of what is now the city and shortly after a catholic mission was dished here under the charge of fathers desmith demmith and ceright Ve right they built a dwelling house and used the block house bouse for religious services they also located a burying ground near the ane fort which to is now within lithio the city limits at this time billy caldwell Cald was the principal chief of the no white persons came as settlers except those among the indians indian as an traders andi and agents in various capacities or those connected with the military or missions until the mormons came in 1846 the indians indiana remained until 1846 7 when oy the treaty of june 6 5 1841 they relinquished this territory and removed to kansas haness 01 0 1 the same work under the caption Mormon 1 1 8 says made way for the advent of the followers of joseph joaeph smith who after the deatti of the prophet in nauvoo carthage Cartha gf in 1844 turned their faces facea westward brigham young with the head bead meu men of the church halted baited for the wi ter of at a pil place ace called winter tera now florence nebra nebraska ka in the spring pring he departed on his bie journey with a portion of the colony but the greater part returned to the iowa side aide mainly within the limits of camle county where others had arrived in the spring summer aum merj of 1846 in season to plant and secure a crop the center of this community was wae established on indian creek in the tb vie fulty of the old fort at a place 8 first rat called miller millers s hollow and afterwards after warde by them named Kanes kanesville Ka neaville ville in honor 0 of colonel kane of pennsylvania who visited them at an early day but their settlement spread rapidly over the country and into some of toe the adjoining counties count iea wherever groves grove oi 01 timber anu water afforded an available aval lab je location over this community orson oreon hyde priest or er editor and law yer was waa installed ina as the president of the quorum of the twelve and the country remained under their exclusive control for several years yeara in 1846 they raised a battalion strong tor for the mexican war under colonel clarke alien which after traversing northern mexico and taking part in the battle there closed its campaign in california it is ia claimed that the gold in the sacramento was wag first als discovered by members oil ol 01 this battalion here many MADY of them remained and en in mining mr wm garner was one of these who after securing considerable gold returned to kanet kanee ville and made his permanent home in the county the mormon peculation was probably most numerous in 1848 but in 1849 after many had left for utha it numbered and in 1850 but they were not all within the present limits of the county many followed brigham young previous to 1862 1852 when finally the word went round that all true believers chuld eh uld gather ather together at suit salt lake biake the th C gentiles battles then swarmed into Katti kanes efe tills and all the surrounding ing country firms were sold to them lots lota cabins and stores were bartered off kofl all at a ruinous sacrifice and the migration went forward and with diminishing volume during several succeeding years until all who were willing to acknowledge brigham as an their leader and the true successor of the prophet bad left the country the county Potta watta m ie we a or gan gad zed september 21 1848 the first county v commissioners were A H per kins david D year ley and goo geo A coultous Coul toi tou and they held their first session at the house of hiram dark clark in Kan kanesville Kanes eeville ville thos thoo burdick was their clerk he be was also first county judge elected in 1851 james shan was elected district judge and held his first term in the county may 5 1851 evan M green was waa clerk and alexander morae mcrae sheriff at this term orson hyde was admitted to the bar sloan was appointed by the governor he was a native of ireland and many anecdotes are related of his hie wit and eccentricity on the bench he resigned in the courne of a year and wais waa succeeded by judge bradford these officiate officials were all mormons cormons Mor mons evan green was appointed postmaster at Kanes kanesville ville receiving his big commission commie sion in 1848 but it was some time badore regular mail service was established between it and the nearest post falce in missouri stud and four or five years before malls mails arrived regularly from the baut the first representative of the country with state legislature legia lature was waa henry heary miller in 1862 1852 archibald bryant was elected representative an and hadley D johnson senator in june 1848 a store was establish ed on the present site of council B bluffs I 1 g a point then known as miller Mill erB is hollow the business was waa open in the name oi 01 stutsman mcdonald and was carried on by mr stutsman mr jonathan |