Bi-State Battle for Carter Lake and Lake Manawa

The Historical Society of Pottawattamie County will be at the Council Bluffs Public Library on Monday, February 3 at 6:30 p.m. to present on the territorial and legal battles between Iowa and Nebraska for both Carter Lake and Lake Manawa. As the Missouri River changed course over the years, bodies of water were left behind as oxbow lakes. The most notable ones in the area were Carter Lake, formed in an 1877 flood, and Lake Manawa, formed from the 1881 flood. Both of these events altered the Missouri River channel and, consequently, altered the Iowa-Nebraska border. Carter Lake is one of the only spots where the Iowa-Nebraska border is not on the Missouri River and it led to a heated legal battle about which state Carter Lake belonged to. Lake Manawa became a recreational hotspot that had land claims by both Iowa and Nebraska. Come learn about this fascinating and unique part of Iowa and Nebraska history.

Presented by Troy Stolp.