Upstream Metropolis: An Urban Biography of Omaha and Council Bluffs (review)

Four Midwestern historians have produced a comprehensive and gracefully written study of Omaha and Council Bluffs, two bustling cities that span the Missouri River and knit eastern Nebraska and western Iowa into a metropolitan enclave. Tracing the area’s growth and development from territorial days to the present, the authors detail how Omaha, illegitimate offspring of Council Bluffs, surpassed its parent and became the dominant partner. That dominance has continued to the present day, but the explosion of casino gambling on the Iowa side has both strengthened the economy of Council Bluffs and its influence in the partnership.

Because of Omaha’s size, more attention is paid to its history, but there are common threads that run through this tale of two cities. Railroads were vitally important to the growth and development of both cities, and continue to be so. The Union Pacific, especially, has left its footprint all over the urban landscape. Its headquarters, work force, yards and dispatch center make it the 800 pound gorilla in a city nationally renowned for its amazing zoo.

Considerable attention is given to the seamy side of life on both sides of the river. Prostitution, illegal bookie joints, after-hours gin mills, and governmental corruption formed an integral part of the life and development of both cities, and is well documented. Labor discord, racial unrest, hyperbolic civic boosterism—all are laid before the reader until one almost questions how either partner matured beyond infancy.

The book is an amalgam of political, social and economic history, and although it treats of the area’s shortcomings, it also recounts the triumphs, and is quite benevolent in its treatment of the formative days of yesteryear. Organized chronologically, it sometimes ventures into a topical format when issues such as meat packing, political activity or economic activity arise. Although such treatment occasionally results in redundancy, the reiteration is generally helpful and does not distract from the narrative.

Little attention is paid to the business community and civic leadership of Council Bluffs, other than a generally favorable account of its long-time current mayor. The power structure of Omaha, inextricably intertwined in the persona of a few close business and social friends, is examined at some length, and from the perspective of those familiar with the recent history and political leadership of Nebraska, is right on the mark.

Virtually every history has a few shortcomings, and this effort does not escape that trap, but they are few and far between. The book does give short shrift to some of the early history of Nebraska—the titanic battle between Lincoln and Omaha over which city would become the state capitol, and the role anti-prohibitionist forces played in the extremely fraudulent election of 1890—but the omission does not detract from the reader’s enjoyment. The authors run the risk of losing historical objectivity as they bring the activity in both cities virtually up to the currency of yesterday’s newspaper, but for those who, like Sgt. Friday, want only the facts, the currency is thorough and helpful.

All in all, the book is a success—a thoughtful, engaging and accurate portrait of the growth and development of a powerful Midwestern presence. The story deserved to be told, and the authors did it well.