History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/3/Counties/Pottawattamie
POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY lies on the east side of the Missouri River in the third tier north of the Missouri State line. It is one of the largest counties in the State containing an area of nine hundred sixty square miles. Next the Missouri River are level bottom lands ranging in width from three to ten miles; while back of these high bluffs rise abruptly to a height of from one to three hundred feet. Eastward the surface is broken into steep ravines and hills gradually becoming gently rolling prairie. As originally created in 1847 Pottawattamie County embraced the territory now divided into the counties of Fremont, Page, Taylor, Adams, Montgomery, Mills, Cass and a portion of Ringgold, Union, Adair, Guthrie, Decatur and Harrison. Its name is derived from the Pottawattamie tribe of Indians which formerly occupied that portion of Iowa. A sketch of the earliest settlements has been given in another place.
The county was organized in September, 1848, by the election of the following officers: A. H. Perkins, David D. Yearsley and George D. Coulter, commissioners; T. Burdick, clerk; Alexander McRea, sheriff.
The first town laid out was called Hart’s Bluff and stood on the present site of Council Bluffs, which was later called “Traders Point,” and was established by Mormons who were the early settlers. In 1846 Colonel Kane of Pennsylvania came to the settlement and organized the “Mormon Battalion” for service in the Mexican War. He was a warm friend of the Mormons who changed the name of their town to Kanesville in his honor. It retained this name until 1853 when the Legislature, acting upon a petition of the citizens of the village, changed it to Council Bluffs. Evan Greene was the first postmaster, appointed in 1848. The first court was held by Judge James Sloan in 1851. In 1849-50-51 vast numbers of gold seekers passed through Kanesville on their way to California and large stores were established to furnish supplies for the long overland journey. It became one of the chief outfitting frontier towns and was for several years infested with lawless desperadoes who were strong enough to defy the civil authorities. The citizens finally organized and resorted to lynch law before these outlaws could be driven out.
In 1848, Orson Hyde, one of the Mormon leaders, established a weekly newspaper at Kanesville, named the Frontier Guardian, which was conducted in the interest of the Mormon church. In 1850 L. W. Babbitt established a weekly Democratic paper the Bugle. In 1853 a United States Land Office was established at Council Bluffs.
Most of the Mormon settlers who founded Kanesville and were among the pioneers in that part of the State eventually joined their brethren in Utah and were among the founders of Salt Lake City.
The Methodists of Kanesville organized a society in 1850 of which Rev. William Simpson was the first pastor. In 1853 they built the first church in Council Bluffs. The Rock Island Railroad was completed to Council Bluffs in May, 1869.