Pottawattamie County

Overview

Welcome to Pottawattamie County, home to Council Bluffs. Centrally located in the Loess Hills, Council Bluffs was called Kanesville when Mormons stopped here on their way west in the 1840s. In 1853, as hundreds of thousands of gold rushers and pioneers later made the city a crossroads to the west, it was renamed Council Bluffs, reflecting the title given the region by Lewis and Clark in 1804.

Pottawattamie County is also home to the Hitchcock Loop, which is a 40-minute loop off of the byway spine.

There are many sites to see in Pottawattamie County. Be sure to check the sections below for what to see.

Directions

Enter northern Pottawattamie County on County Road L34 which passes under I-880 and continues south with horizon-to-horizon views of farm fields that seem to roll away from the Byway.

Nearly 14 miles later, when the Byway meets County Road G81, you should turn right (south) to follow that for 3.5 miles to U.S. 6 which leads to Council Bluffs.

At U.S. 6, turn right (east) to go to South 7th Street (Iowa Highway 192), a one-way street going south to the South Expressway which passes under I-20/80 to meet the South Omaha Bridge Road, 3 miles later.

At the South Omaha Bridge Road (also called Iowa Highway 92), you turn left (east) to pass over I-29 and then, less than 2 miles after leaving the South Expressway, meet Harry Langdon Boulevard.

At Harry Langdon Boulevard, turn right (south). On your left is the Iowa School for the Deaf. Shortly afterward, the boulevard becomes Wabash Avenue, and then County Road L35, for just more than 6 miles, leads you along the base of the Hills and sometimes rides high enough on their flanks to provide vistas of the Missouri River Valley before you exit Pottawattamie County.