Council Bluffs, city, seat of Pottawattamie County, southwestern Iowa, on bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, opposite Omaha, Nebraska; incorporated 1853. It is a major railroad junction and a shipping and processing center for livestock and grain. Manufactures include metal pipe, furniture, and clothing. A junior college is here. Many memorials are located throughout the city, including a winged-angel fountain by sculptor Daniel Chester French. The city's name alludes to a council between Iowa Indians and the Lewis and Clark Expedition held here in 1804. A trading post was built on the site of the city in 1824, and a large Mormon settlement was here from 1846 to 1852. In 1863 Council Bluffs was selected as the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad. Population 56,449 (1980); 54,315 (1990); 58,268 (2000).
