Situated on the eastern bank of the Missouri River across from Omaha, Nebraska, is Council Bluffs, Iowa. It is a site of historical interest to students of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It was originally named for a site 20 miles north where members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition sat in council with the Otoe Tribe near the bluffs adjacent to the Missouri River in 1804. The general area was then referred to as Council Bluffs.
Beginning in 1846-47, Latter-day Saints heading west came through the region and assembled at a site known as the Pioneer Grand Encampment. Although many crossed the Missouri River and stayed on the Nebraska side, a significant number remained in the Council Bluffs area on the Iowa (east) side of the river. The Mormon Battalion left from Council Bluffs (specifically, Council Point). Brigham Young presided over the LDS Church as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in Council Bluffs during the winter of 1846-47.
By 1848, the name had been changed to Kanesville, in honor of Thomas L. Kane. Though not LDS, Kane did much to assist the struggling Saints in their exodus west.
Following his return from the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young was sustained as president of the church in the Kanesville Tabernacle. By 1852, the majority of the Latter-day Saints had gone farther west and Kanesville was renamed Council Bluffs.