For those who prefer interactive lessons in history and want to follow in the footsteps of early travelers to Iowa during the 1800s on the Lewis and Clark, Oregon, California and Mormon trails, consider visiting the Western Historic Trails Center in Council Bluffs.

 

Located on 423 acres of Missouri River bottom land where numerous trails had to cross the river, the Western Historic Trails Center features exhibits, films, maps and family-friendly events — including musical jams on Thursdays and Saturdays — at the Lied Historical Building on the Path of Names. Outdoors, the site offers tall native prairie grasses, a pond behind the center and a bicycle-walking trail through the river bottom woodlands and along the banks of the Missouri River that leads to other destinations around Council Bluffs and Omaha, Neb.

 

Council Bluffs was one of many frontier towns on the Missouri River known as “jumping off places,” where westward-bound travelers could buy supplies before crossing the river on log ferries.

 

The National Park Service designed and built the center, which opened on Oct. 4, 1997. On average, according to officials, between 50,000 and 60,000 people visit the center each year. The center was formed through a public-private partnership and it is currently displaying some history of its own through the spring with photos and scrapbooks that celebrate its 20 years.

 

The Western Historic Trails Center is located at 3434 Richard Downing Ave. in Council Bluffs. Admission is free. School and group tours are available. Hours of operation vary by season. For more information, visit iowaculture.gov or call (712) 366-4900.

 

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