May 22, 2025 • 8 mins
What Can You Find at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs?
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I haven't actually been to the Union Pacific Railroad Museum.
So can you find like kind of the summary of
what this museum does and kind of the things that
people can find inside.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yes, So we're all about the Transcontinental Railroad and sharing
the stories that have been shaped by the railroad and
impacted by the railroad. So that starts in eighteen sixty
nine with General Granville Dodge and Abraham Lincoln and goes
all the way up until today in the modern railroad
with Union Pacific.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
How cool is that?
Speaker 1 (00:29):
So when people go to the museum, certainly there's going
to be a lot of history, a lot of history
that involves the Omaha area based on, you know, kind
of how the Transcontinental Railroad was being constructed. For those
who are kind of curious as to how much time
it takes to kind of get through your museum, what
would you say.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
To people, Yeah, it can take anywhere from half an
hour to two and a half hours. It really depends
on what type of museum, go where you are. So
some people like to read everything, that's about two and
a half hours. But if you're somebody who just likes
to look and interact, probably about half an hour to
an hour.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
All right, cool, so a little bit two and a
half hours. That's me.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I'm the guy that when I go to the museum,
I want to read everything, I want to see everything.
So this particular conversation you and I have aren't isn't
specifically meant only for the Union Pacific Museum, however, because
there are a couple of other museums that are kind
of opening this weekend with the help of Union Pacific Museum.
So how tell me about what the squirrel cage jail
(01:28):
in the Rails West Museum and what they'll be opening
and how can people be a part of this big event.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah, we're really excited.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
So it's part of our History on Track initiative, which
was a goal to kind of help leverage our expertise
and get these museums back up and running and having
them open to the public on regular hours. And so
this Saturday from ten to four, patrons and guests can
come to either all three of the museums and purchase
a ticket for fifteen dollars and that will include entry
(01:59):
fees to all of the museums, and so fifteen dollars
for all three museums. They're all along the same street.
And squirrel Cage Jail is all is a really old
jail that's really unique. It's like a lazy Susan. Oh,
so it's nothing like most people have ever seen before.
And then the Reals West Museum is an old depot,
so one of the last depots and council.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Bluffs and now it's a museum. Yes, that's awesome, So
grand opening this Saturday. And you mentioned fifteen dollars per adult.
Kids are free, correct, and you can see it all. Yes, yep,
that's so cool. Isabelle Cating joining us, She's the communications
coordinator for the Union Pacific Museum. So with that being said,
let's go ahead and talk a little bit deeper about
(02:39):
the squirrel cage. Just yeah, the squirrel cage jail. What
makes this so unique in for people who are like, okay,
so it's a jail and lazy susan, how does that
even work? Like what would be the purpose of this
and how you guys have made it into kind of
a museum itself.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
So it was originally built in the eighteen eighty and
it was in use until the nineteen sixties, so it
was in use for a long time and the goal
of it was to have a maximum security with minimal
jailer attention. And so there's only one entrance to all
of the jail cells and they're kind of like pie
shapes in a circle and they circle around, so the
(03:18):
jailer would crank a crank to spin all of the
prisoners and one would be able to get out at
a time.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yes, And so most of the building is still original.
All of the cell block is original. It's pretty eerie
on the inside.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Yeah, I'm going to have to take this out. So
I'm wondering.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
I mean, it had to have worked kind of because
it was in use for almost one hundred year, like
eighty years yep.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
So what made it fall out of use?
Speaker 1 (03:43):
And why haven't I heard of anybody else kind of
trying to copy this idea.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yeah, so there's only three remaining in the country. There
was originally eighteen. When you go inside, you'll see why
it's no longer in use. Oh okay, it's not the
most It will make you know, whant to ever go
to prison, that's for sure, or did you It's pretty
scary on the inside, but just regulations and it's not
the safest to today's standards.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Okay, Well, I mean you've sold me on the fact
that you're just like, trust me when you walk and
you will undertill understand that there's people, whether they're criminals
or not. This is not something that makes a lot
of sense for somebody to live in. How about Rail's
West Museum, you know, and what does this kind of
have to offer that might be different than what people
see at the Union Pacific Museum.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
So it's an original depot. It was also built in
the late eighteen hundreds, and it still has a lot
of the original architecture, so that really beautiful woodwork that
was known for its day. And you get the experience
of what it's like to wait for a train as
a passenger as you would have when passenger rail was
in a tight super cool.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
So this being a grand opening, what was that process like, Isabelle,
You know, you're talking about your museum and it's been
around for a while and people are able to go
and get a lot of information and experience about the
trans Continental Railroad and our area's you know, role in
what was an incredibly historic achievement and transportation. These two
(05:08):
you know, the Union Pacific Museum kind of helping with
these other two buildings. Can you walk us through what
the role that the Union Pacific Museum had in making
this grand opening happen.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, So we collaborated with the Historical Society of Potawatame
County and really just use a lot of our resources
to help leverage those and create this grand opening and
get the word out. Hire two new site managers, one
for each location that have started, and creating just those
hours that the public can come and visit both locations
(05:42):
would be huge to adding to the vibrancy of downtown
Council Bluffs.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
So it's great for Council Bluffs, it's great for people
to learn, it's great for opportunity for you talk about vibrancy.
This is the kind of thing that you go to
different places. I like having these things to go to,
and Omaha has plenty of places that you can go to,
but people, I think forget that. Hey, if you just
crossed the river, there's a lot of other cool things
over there too.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Yeah, there's a lot.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Of really rich history over in Council Bluffs. Just for example,
Granville Dodge and Abraham Lincoln actually met in Council Bluffs,
which most people don't know, Wow, and Council Bus is
mile zero of the trans Continental Railroad, so that's really
decided that the Transcontinental Railroad would start, which helped bring
people to this area and really created what Omahon Council
(06:26):
Bulfs are today.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
That's a good point too. Without the Transcontinental Railroad, where
does a place like Omaha end up? You know, it
certainly obviously would probably still land on the river somewhere,
but the city wouldn't have looked the same if that
didn't happen when it did. We're speaking with Isabelle Cating,
who's the communications coordinator for the Union Pacific Museum. Let's
get into a little bit of the weeds of the
big museum now, and know that your temporary exhibit is
(06:49):
Law and Order on the Railroad, which I find to
be very exciting because I think, you know, this one
thing about railroads and especially in the eighteen hundreds, is.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
All the crime and all.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
The mitigations that some of these companies did to try
to prevent crime and robbers coming on board of their trains.
What can you tell me about this exhibit?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yes, so it is up until September, so there's still
a few more months to see it. It's super fascinating.
It starts with the beginning of law and order on
the railroad from the Pinkertons and private detective agencies that
the railroad would hire to protect their cargo and their
trains to law and order on the railroad today and
special agents and what their roles within the railroad and
(07:31):
Union Pacific look like in the modern day.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
That's really cool. That is the temporary exhibit. And what
are some of the other exhibits that you think people
would find exciting, not just on Saturday when they're checking
out all the museums, but something that you're like, hey,
this is something you should experience when you come here.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
I personally love our passenger rail exhibit. It really shines
a light on what it would be like to travel
by rail today. Traveling by train isn't something super common anymore, unfortunately,
but we have have a nice exhibit that shows what
it would be like to hop on board the train
and go out west.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
It's really cool. You got had a list of your
events on your website also correct yep?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (08:11):
And what's the museum or sorry, what's the website for
the museum uprmuseum dot org Like uprs like Union, Pacific
Railroad Museum dot org.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Correct easy enough, ye, Isabelle Kading. Awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
I'm so excited to go check out what you guys
are doing over there. Congrats on the opening day coming
up on Saturday for all of what's going on down here,
and really appreciate you coming and talking to us, Bet,
thanks for having me
I haven't actually been to the Union Pacific Railroad Museum.
So can you find like kind of the summary of
what this museum does and kind of the things that
people can find inside.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yes, So we're all about the Transcontinental Railroad and sharing
the stories that have been shaped by the railroad and
impacted by the railroad. So that starts in eighteen sixty
nine with General Granville Dodge and Abraham Lincoln and goes
all the way up until today in the modern railroad
with Union Pacific.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
How cool is that?
Speaker 1 (00:29):
So when people go to the museum, certainly there's going
to be a lot of history, a lot of history
that involves the Omaha area based on, you know, kind
of how the Transcontinental Railroad was being constructed. For those
who are kind of curious as to how much time
it takes to kind of get through your museum, what
would you say.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
To people, Yeah, it can take anywhere from half an
hour to two and a half hours. It really depends
on what type of museum, go where you are. So
some people like to read everything, that's about two and
a half hours. But if you're somebody who just likes
to look and interact, probably about half an hour to
an hour.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
All right, cool, so a little bit two and a
half hours. That's me.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
I'm the guy that when I go to the museum,
I want to read everything, I want to see everything.
So this particular conversation you and I have aren't isn't
specifically meant only for the Union Pacific Museum, however, because
there are a couple of other museums that are kind
of opening this weekend with the help of Union Pacific Museum.
So how tell me about what the squirrel cage jail
(01:28):
in the Rails West Museum and what they'll be opening
and how can people be a part of this big event.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah, we're really excited.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
So it's part of our History on Track initiative, which
was a goal to kind of help leverage our expertise
and get these museums back up and running and having
them open to the public on regular hours. And so
this Saturday from ten to four, patrons and guests can
come to either all three of the museums and purchase
a ticket for fifteen dollars and that will include entry
(01:59):
fees to all of the museums, and so fifteen dollars
for all three museums. They're all along the same street.
And squirrel Cage Jail is all is a really old
jail that's really unique. It's like a lazy Susan. Oh,
so it's nothing like most people have ever seen before.
And then the Reals West Museum is an old depot,
so one of the last depots and council.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Bluffs and now it's a museum. Yes, that's awesome, So
grand opening this Saturday. And you mentioned fifteen dollars per adult.
Kids are free, correct, and you can see it all. Yes, yep,
that's so cool. Isabelle Cating joining us, She's the communications
coordinator for the Union Pacific Museum. So with that being said,
let's go ahead and talk a little bit deeper about
(02:39):
the squirrel cage. Just yeah, the squirrel cage jail. What
makes this so unique in for people who are like, okay,
so it's a jail and lazy susan, how does that
even work? Like what would be the purpose of this
and how you guys have made it into kind of
a museum itself.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
So it was originally built in the eighteen eighty and
it was in use until the nineteen sixties, so it
was in use for a long time and the goal
of it was to have a maximum security with minimal
jailer attention. And so there's only one entrance to all
of the jail cells and they're kind of like pie
shapes in a circle and they circle around, so the
(03:18):
jailer would crank a crank to spin all of the
prisoners and one would be able to get out at
a time.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yes, And so most of the building is still original.
All of the cell block is original. It's pretty eerie
on the inside.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Yeah, I'm going to have to take this out. So
I'm wondering.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
I mean, it had to have worked kind of because
it was in use for almost one hundred year, like
eighty years yep.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
So what made it fall out of use?
Speaker 1 (03:43):
And why haven't I heard of anybody else kind of
trying to copy this idea.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yeah, so there's only three remaining in the country. There
was originally eighteen. When you go inside, you'll see why
it's no longer in use. Oh okay, it's not the
most It will make you know, whant to ever go
to prison, that's for sure, or did you It's pretty
scary on the inside, but just regulations and it's not
the safest to today's standards.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Okay, Well, I mean you've sold me on the fact
that you're just like, trust me when you walk and
you will undertill understand that there's people, whether they're criminals
or not. This is not something that makes a lot
of sense for somebody to live in. How about Rail's
West Museum, you know, and what does this kind of
have to offer that might be different than what people
see at the Union Pacific Museum.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
So it's an original depot. It was also built in
the late eighteen hundreds, and it still has a lot
of the original architecture, so that really beautiful woodwork that
was known for its day. And you get the experience
of what it's like to wait for a train as
a passenger as you would have when passenger rail was
in a tight super cool.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
So this being a grand opening, what was that process like, Isabelle,
You know, you're talking about your museum and it's been
around for a while and people are able to go
and get a lot of information and experience about the
trans Continental Railroad and our area's you know, role in
what was an incredibly historic achievement and transportation. These two
(05:08):
you know, the Union Pacific Museum kind of helping with
these other two buildings. Can you walk us through what
the role that the Union Pacific Museum had in making
this grand opening happen.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, So we collaborated with the Historical Society of Potawatame
County and really just use a lot of our resources
to help leverage those and create this grand opening and
get the word out. Hire two new site managers, one
for each location that have started, and creating just those
hours that the public can come and visit both locations
(05:42):
would be huge to adding to the vibrancy of downtown
Council Bluffs.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
So it's great for Council Bluffs, it's great for people
to learn, it's great for opportunity for you talk about vibrancy.
This is the kind of thing that you go to
different places. I like having these things to go to,
and Omaha has plenty of places that you can go to,
but people, I think forget that. Hey, if you just
crossed the river, there's a lot of other cool things
over there too.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Yeah, there's a lot.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Of really rich history over in Council Bluffs. Just for example,
Granville Dodge and Abraham Lincoln actually met in Council Bluffs,
which most people don't know, Wow, and Council Bus is
mile zero of the trans Continental Railroad, so that's really
decided that the Transcontinental Railroad would start, which helped bring
people to this area and really created what Omahon Council
(06:26):
Bulfs are today.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
That's a good point too. Without the Transcontinental Railroad, where
does a place like Omaha end up? You know, it
certainly obviously would probably still land on the river somewhere,
but the city wouldn't have looked the same if that
didn't happen when it did. We're speaking with Isabelle Cating,
who's the communications coordinator for the Union Pacific Museum. Let's
get into a little bit of the weeds of the
big museum now, and know that your temporary exhibit is
(06:49):
Law and Order on the Railroad, which I find to
be very exciting because I think, you know, this one
thing about railroads and especially in the eighteen hundreds, is.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
All the crime and all.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
The mitigations that some of these companies did to try
to prevent crime and robbers coming on board of their trains.
What can you tell me about this exhibit?
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yes, so it is up until September, so there's still
a few more months to see it. It's super fascinating.
It starts with the beginning of law and order on
the railroad from the Pinkertons and private detective agencies that
the railroad would hire to protect their cargo and their
trains to law and order on the railroad today and
special agents and what their roles within the railroad and
(07:31):
Union Pacific look like in the modern day.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
That's really cool. That is the temporary exhibit. And what
are some of the other exhibits that you think people
would find exciting, not just on Saturday when they're checking
out all the museums, but something that you're like, hey,
this is something you should experience when you come here.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
I personally love our passenger rail exhibit. It really shines
a light on what it would be like to travel
by rail today. Traveling by train isn't something super common anymore, unfortunately,
but we have have a nice exhibit that shows what
it would be like to hop on board the train
and go out west.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
It's really cool. You got had a list of your
events on your website also correct yep?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (08:11):
And what's the museum or sorry, what's the website for
the museum uprmuseum dot org Like uprs like Union, Pacific
Railroad Museum dot org.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Correct easy enough, ye, Isabelle Kading. Awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
I'm so excited to go check out what you guys
are doing over there. Congrats on the opening day coming
up on Saturday for all of what's going on down here,
and really appreciate you coming and talking to us, Bet,
thanks for having me
Popular Podcasts
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Introducing… Aubrey O’Day Diddy’s former protege, television personality, platinum selling music artist, Danity Kane alum Aubrey O’Day joins veteran journalists Amy Robach and TJ Holmes to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation. Join them throughout the trial as they discuss, debate, and dissect every detail, every aspect of the proceedings. Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise, as only she is qualified to do given her first-hand knowledge. From her days on Making the Band, as she emerged as the breakout star, the truth of the situation would be the opposite of the glitz and glamour. Listen throughout every minute of the trial, for this exclusive coverage. Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial, an iHeartRadio podcast.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!