Council Bluffs has a history most people don't know and a paranormal story that runs right through it. Haunted Bluffs is a 6-session evening series blending local history with hands-on paranormal investigation at four of the city's most iconic locations. Starting with a history overview, you'll then conduct your own two-hour investigations at the Squirrel Cage Jail, Rails West Train Museum, Beresheim House, and Fairview Cemetery before wrapping up with a group evidence review. All equipment provided by IWCC. Register for the full series and get three sessions free the intro class, one investigation night, and the evidence review are included at no additional charge. No experience necessary. Open to all.

October 6th 7PM-9PM  Council Bluffs Campus- Looft Hall Room 023

Council Bluffs has a history most people don't know and a paranormal story that runs right through it. In this opening session, we'll cover the documented history and reported activity at each of the four locations we'll investigate throughout the series: the Squirrel Cage Jail, the Rails West Train Museum, the Beresheim House, and Fairview Cemetery. You'll learn what happened at each site, what's been reported there over the years, and how to use the investigation equipment IWCC provides EMF meters, digital voice recorders, infrared thermometers, and cameras. No experience necessary. Come curious.

October 12th 7PM-9PM  

Built in 1885 on the site of a former church morgue, the Squirrel Cage Jail is one of only three rotating jails remaining in the country and Iowa's most documented paranormal location. Four people died here during its years of operation, and reports of unexplained footsteps, moving doors, and disembodied voices have continued long after it closed in 1969. Tonight you'll conduct your own two-hour investigation of all three floors, working in small groups with equipment provided by IWCC. What you find or don't find goes into your investigation journal for our final session.

October13th 7PM-9PM  

The historic Rock Island Depot has served as a crossroads for generations of Council Bluffs residents arrivals, departures, and everything in between. Now home to the Rails West Train Museum, the building carries the weight of that history in its original woodwork, ticketing areas, and main hall. Tonight's investigation focuses on the unexplained sounds, cold spots, and visual anomalies that have been reported inside. Working in small groups with IWCC-provided equipment, you'll conduct EVP sessions and document any activity you encounter, adding your findings to your investigation journal.

October 19th 7PM-9PM  

Built in 1912 and custom designed for its owners Jean and Inez Bregant, who stood 45 and 42 inches tall the Bregant House at 517 South Fourth Street is unlike any other historic property in Council Bluffs. Every feature was scaled to their stature: the fireplace mantle, doorknobs, light switches, windows, and bathtub were all built smaller than standard. Locals called it "the doll house." Inez lived alone in the home for 25 years after Jean's death in 1944, until her own passing in 1969. Tonight's investigation is the first formal paranormal investigation ever conducted at the Bregant House. Your findings here become part of the historical record.

October 20th 7PM-9PM  

One of Council Bluffs' oldest burial grounds, Fairview Cemetery holds markers dating back to 1826 and serves as the final resting place for many of the city's earliest settlers. At its heart stands the Ruth Anne Dodge Memorial a bronze angel sculpted by Daniel Chester French, creator of the Lincoln Memorial commissioned to honor Ruth Anne Dodge's deathbed visions of an angel offering the water of life. Visitors have long reported feelings of disorientation, unexpected emotional responses, and electronics malfunctions near the statue. Tonight you'll conduct the series' final on-site investigation as a group, gathering your last round of evidence before next week's review.

Weather Reschedule Date 10/21/26

October 27th 7PM-9PM  Council Bluffs Campus- Looft Hall Room 023

All five sessions have led to this. Tonight we gather as a group to go through everything collected across all four investigation sites playing back audio recordings, reviewing photos and video, comparing EMF and temperature logs, and sharing observations from your investigation journals. We'll close with an open discussion about what we found, what we couldn't explain, and why these stories matter to the history and identity of Council Bluffs.