<p>In this episode podcast host Richard Warner looks at the distribution of Council Bluffs' squirrel population, why they are black, how rare they are, some of the local traditions and laws regarding them, and how the Pottawattamie County jail ended up with that name.  Comments and questions are welcome!  You can reach us via email at Information@TheHistoricalSociety.org.</p>

In this episode podcast host Richard Warner looks at the distribution of Council Bluffs' squirrel population, why they are black, how rare they are, some of the local traditions and laws regarding them, and how the Pottawattamie County jail ended up with that name. Comments and questions are welcome! You can reach us via email at Information@TheHistoricalSociety.org.

<p>In this episode podcast host Richard Warner looks at the distribution of Council Bluffs' squirrel population, why they are black, how rare they are, some of the local traditions and laws regarding them, and how the Pottawattamie County jail ended up with that name. &nbsp;Comments and questions are welcome! &nbsp;You can reach us via email at Information@TheHistoricalSociety.org.</p>

Black Squirrels of the Bluffs

Council Bluffs’ location has put the town into contact with a lot of history.  Lewis and Clark and the Mormon pilgrims came through, as did the westbound pioneers on the Oregon and California Trails.  Abraham Lincoln designated the town as milepost zero for the transcontinental railroad.  The first coast-to-coast automobile trip passed through and later the first transcontinental highway.  Council Bluffs was the birthplace of Omaha and first war-time mobile hospital.  It also boasted the state’s first nursing school and FM radio station as well as the largest rotary cell jail ever built.  This all created a lot of what we call history-- but at the time it wasn’t intended that way at all.  It was just normal people finding innovative ways to solve problems, inventing the future one day at a time.  And that has made for some really interesting tales that we intend to explore in this podcast series.

History

Council Bluffs’ location has put the town into contact with a lot of history. Lewis and Clark and the Mormon pilgrims came through, as did the westbound pioneers on the Oregon and California Trails. Abraham Lincoln designated the town as milepost zero for the transcontinental railroad. The first coast-to-coast automobile trip passed through and later the first transcontinental highway. Council Bluffs was the birthplace of Omaha and first war-time mobile hospital. It also boasted the state’s first nursing school and FM radio station as well as the largest rotary cell jail ever built. This all created a lot of what we call history-- but at the time it wasn’t intended that way at all. It was just normal people finding innovative ways to solve problems, inventing the future one day at a time. And that has made for some really interesting tales that we intend to explore in this podcast series.

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Black Squirrels of the Bluffs

Black Squirrels of the Bluffs