440 OCEAN TO OCEAN ON HORSEBACK. 



*^ Saints," who finally left in a body to join their people 

 at Salt Lake City. 



Council Bluffs is now the most populous and flour- 

 ishing city of Western Iowa. At the time of my visit, 

 the inhabitants numbered only about 8,000, but it was 

 then growing rapidly and bid fair to become one of 

 the big cities of America. There is a large trade 

 here employing an immense capital. The most im- 

 portant manufactures are the iron works and machine 

 shops, the agricultural works, carriage factories, steam 

 plows, and mills of various kinds, the city has ample 

 railroad communication by means of several lines con- 

 verging here. Omaha, on the opposite bank of the 

 Missouri, is only four miles distant. The fine, sub- 

 stantial bridge connecting the two cities is 2,750 feet 

 in length and has eleven spans. It has a railroad track, 

 and accommodation for horse-cars and ordinary travel. 



The most important public buildings are the County 

 Court House, City Hall, High School building and 

 the ward school houses. There were three banks 

 and two daily and three weekly newspapers. The 

 Catholics have a seminary for young ladies and a boys' 

 parochial school. The State Institute for the Deaf and 

 Dumb is near the city. 



