Union Pacific Museum

Union Pacific Museum Our museum has chronicled more than 150 years of American railroad history through unique artifacts and immersive interactive games. Admission is free.

Union Pacific Railroad Museum is housed in a historic Carnegie Library building in Council Bluffs, Iowa. At the museum, you'll discover an extensive compilation of artifacts, photographs, documents and equipment from one of our nation's most ambitious endeavors - constructing the transcontinental railroad. The museum also strives to connect generations of people whose histories have been touched b

y Union Pacific Railroad.

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Welcome to June and Happy Pride Month!  Sunny days are ahead so get ready for a summer full of activities here at the mu...
06/01/2026

Welcome to June and Happy Pride Month!
Sunny days are ahead so get ready for a summer full of activities here at the museum!

1939 Golden Gate International Exposition and World’s Fair held in San Francisco, California, on Treasure Island, celebrating the opening of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges. The theme was “Pageant for the Pacific.”

05/31/2026

Who got to see the Big Boy yesterday while it was in town?? We sure did! Don’t let your weekend of trains stop there! We are open today until 6!

The “City of San Francisco” streamliner service crossing the Great Salt Lake over the Lucin Cut-off, 1953.  Completed an...
05/31/2026

The “City of San Francisco” streamliner service crossing the Great Salt Lake over the Lucin Cut-off, 1953.
Completed and opened in 1904, this cut-off was created to make the transcontinental railroad through Utah just a little bit shorter, cutting across the northern part of the lake into Ogden – bypassing Promontory Summit entirely.
Can you guess which direction this train is heading?

🌳Today from 11am to 2pm, start planting the roots of your family tree with coloring activities, scavenger hunts, and add...
05/30/2026

🌳Today from 11am to 2pm, start planting the roots of your family tree with coloring activities, scavenger hunts, and add your thumbprint to our community tree!🌳

Employees in front of Southern Pacific locomotive, SP 2779, at Walnut Creek, California, circa 1950.  Lower left is cond...
05/29/2026

Employees in front of Southern Pacific locomotive, SP 2779, at Walnut Creek, California, circa 1950.
Lower left is conductor Kenneth Stuart. Upper left is brakeman Don Clark. Upper right is brakeman Ted Reece, and lower right is fireman Roy Newell.

Everyone takes the train! Sending off the troops in the early 1900s meant throngs of people gathered at their train stat...
05/28/2026

Everyone takes the train!
Sending off the troops in the early 1900s meant throngs of people gathered at their train station.
Eastbound World War I Troop Train in La Grande, Oregon, circa 1918.

We are so honored to have received the Only In Iowa Award for 2026!!
05/28/2026

We are so honored to have received the Only In Iowa Award for 2026!!

Congratulations to the Union Pacific Museum in Unleash Council Bluffs, recipient of a 2026 Only in Iowa Award! 🚂

Long before cross-country travel became what it is today, the journey west began right here in Iowa.

The Union Pacific Railroad Museum brings that story to life in a way that feels immersive, interactive, and genuinely memorable for visitors. From the history of the transcontinental railroad to the powerful “Mile Zero” connection, the museum helps visitors understand the important role Iowa played in shaping the nation.

It is the kind of experience that leaves people saying, “I had no idea this started in Iowa.”

The Only in Iowa Award is sponsored by RAGBRAI.

Our activity schedule for May/June just dropped! All activities are free and open to the public, from 11am to 2pm! 🌳 May...
05/27/2026

Our activity schedule for May/June just dropped! All activities are free and open to the public, from 11am to 2pm!

🌳 May 30 Family Ties: color your family tree, scavenger hunt, add your thumbprint to our community tree!
🦖 June 6 Dino Tracks: make your own dinosaur mask, glow-in-the-dark dino giveaway!
🏛️ June 13 Iowa Museum Week: artifact petting zoo, I

America's 250th is this summer, and we are celebrating all summer long!Our Summer hours have officially begun, stop by d...
05/26/2026

America's 250th is this summer, and we are celebrating all summer long!
Our Summer hours have officially begun, stop by during our regular hours or any Sunday from noon to 6pm!
We will have crafts and activities every Saturday from 11 to 2pm (schedule of themes coming soon!), and special Summer Saturday tours on select Saturdays (in addition to our free 1:30pm History Express Tour). Finally, we will kick off the 4th of July with the Celebrate America Spectacular from 10 to 2 on July 4th!

More details to come!

Today is Memorial Day, a day we honor and remember the people who have died serving in the U.S. military. During wartime...
05/25/2026

Today is Memorial Day, a day we honor and remember the people who have died serving in the U.S. military. During wartime, railroads experienced an unheard-of rate of traffic, so we would also like to honor those that served the war effort on the homefront.

Photographs documenting the railroad’s connections to wartime can be seen in our digital photograph archive https://www.up.com/about-us/history/photos

Photo: Staff of American Red Cross Canteen Building, during World War I, North Platte, Nebraska.

Address

200 Pearl Street
Council Bluffs, IA
51503

Opening Hours

Thursday 10am - 6pm
Friday 10am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 12pm - 6am

Telephone

+17123298307

Alerts

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