National Register of Historic Places

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot

Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa
Listed
July 20, 1995
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
95000856

About this property

RailsWest Railroad Museum is a railroad museum operated by the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County at 16th Avenue and South Main Street and illustrates the history of railroads in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The museum is housed inside a Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad passenger depot that was also used by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific. The depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot and also has been known as just Rock Island Depot. The depot opened in 1899 and would become a daily stop for the Rocky Mountain Rocket, Midwest Hiawatha, the Arrow, and Corn Belt Rocket before the end of passenger service in 1971. Similar Rock Island passenger depots were also constructed in Iowa City, Iowa and Ottawa, Illinois. RailsWest includes historical exhibits on the eight railroads that served the community along with displays on the Railway Mail Service and an extensive HO scale model railroad. Adjacent to the historic depot are Union Pacific locomotive 814 and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy locomotive 915, Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad and Chicago, Burlington and Quincy cabooses, a 1953 switch engine built by the Plymouth Locomotive Works, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Omaha lounge car, a Union Pacific boxcar, and Union Pacific Railway Post Office car 5908. RailsWest is adjacent to tracks of the Union Pacific, BNSF, and Iowa Interstate Railroad with a fenced-in area for railfanning.

Location

1512 S. Main St.
Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa
41.24710, -95.85254

Categories

ARCHITECTURETRANSPORTATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot

This page lists Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Hughes, Martin, House
Industrial
0.5 mi
McCormick Harvesting Machine Company Building
Industrial
0.5 mi
Pioneer Implement Company
Industrial
0.5 mi
Beresheim, August, House
Industrial
0.6 mi
Wickham, O. P., House
Industrial
0.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot listed on the National Register?

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 20, 1995.

What type of historic resource is Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot?

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot?

The period of significance for Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Pottawattamie County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Pottawattamie County.

Explore PottawattamieCounty ›

More historic places in Iowa

Browse all historic places in Iowa.

View Iowahistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Iowa history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Iowahistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report