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The Historical Society of Pottawattamie County.

Island Park: Council Bluffs’ Forgotten Oasis

By the early part of the 20th Century it was boasted that Council Bluffs had more public park land than any city of its size in the United States. Opening with the words “Buried deep within the soul of every dweller of the city lies an inherent desire to rub elbows with nature” a 1914 report on the status of the city park system proudly pointed to hundreds of acres of parks already in existence and plans to build even more. Goals were to preserve the best scenery, distribute park land to serve all parts of the city, and reserve land in locations where growth was anticipated. 


The backbone of the system was four large parks, one on each side of town.  Fairmount was located in the eastern portion of the city, Dodge Park on the west, Lakeview (also known as Big Lake) to the north and Island Park was south of town.  A scenic drive was to connect all four.

From Council Bluffs Parks Department booklet.

Car (sic) Lake from 1885 Pottawattamie County atlas.

Note Carr Lake erroneously labeled Carter Lake on this 1919 Pottawattamie County atlas map.

The central feature of Island Park was Carr Lake. The yellow circle indicates the site of the lake which dried up in the 1940s. Note Interstate 29 passing near the site and the Midwest Power plant, Missouri River, and Lake Manawa in the background. (Photo by Nicole Warner)

The central feature of Island Park was Carr Lake. The yellow circle indicates the site of the lake which dried up in the 1940s. Note Interstate 29 passing near the site and the Midwest Power plant, Missouri River, and Lake Manawa in the background. (Photo by Nicole Warner)

Island Park came about from the same influence that created Fairmount Park, the vision of Park Commissioner A.C. Graham. Graham, who was referred to by later Park Commissioner H.G. McGee as “that hard headed nature loving Scotsman,"was a tireless advocate of park development in early Council Bluffs.

In 1879 Graham became impressed with a tract of land he hunted on about four miles south of town. With the city park network always on his mind he envisioned this property as the southern anchor of Council Bluffs’ park system, possibly even turning it into a resort.  Mr. Graham commented that there was no particular hurry about developing the park, but rather it could be considered an investment for the future that could be availed when the need arose.

Just as with the land that would become Lakeview (later called Big Lake) Park, the United States Government held title to the property since it was within the meander line of the Missouri River. Local Congressman Colonel William Fletcher Sapp introduced bills that were successful in giving the land for Lakeview Park to the city as well as 72 acres of land south of Council Bluffs, which included Carr Lake, through a special act of Congress in 1880. Thirty acres of adjoining wooded property was purchased by the Board of Park Commissioners from O.H. Lucas, the chief of police, bringing Island Park to 102 acres and establishing it as the third largest park in the Council Bluffs system. Both Island and Lakeview Parks were unique in that they were city parks yet outside the city limits.

Island park was right on the Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroad line and while it attracted some picnickers and sportsmen from the city most of the eyes that feasted on it’s beauty were likely those looking out through the windows of C.B. & Q. passenger trains. Large and stately elm trees were a signature feature of the park.


Island Park was never developed by the city. Over 50 years after it’s creation a 1933 park department report still passed it off as something for the future. By 1950 reports no longer made reference to Island Park in planning.  While the exact reasons for not developing the park are unclear likely factors include the silting in of Carr Lake and the development of nearby Lake Manawa which didn’t exist at the time Park Commissioner Graham envisioned Island Park as becoming a resort.  Today the traveler on Interstate 29 passes just a few hundred yards from Carr Lake, though there is no longer any water to be seen.  

(Story by Richard Warner. Dr. Warner is editor of the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County’s “Member Journal.")

Map printed in1994.

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Historical Society of Pottawattamie County

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