Contact: Jeff Morgan, Jeff.Morgan@iowa.gov, (515) 281-3858

COUNCIL BLUFFS – People looking for a unique shopping experience and fun family events are invited to the Western Historic Trails Center for “Holidays on the Trail.”

Carriage rides, frontier music, childrens’ activities and a special talk about early holiday traditions will be offered in addition to special discounts in the Trails West Gift Shop and refreshments 9 a.m.-5 p.m. December 3-4, 2005. The event is free and open to the public. The Western Historic Trails Center and gift shop are located at 3434 Richard Downing Avenue, just south of Interstate 80 at the 24th Street exit.

“Holidays on the Trail is a fun and free event that allows visitors to experience the season as it was more than 100 years ago,” WHTC Site Manager K.C. Collins Hummel said. “Parents can enjoy shopping for unique holiday gifts in the Trails West Gift Shop. It is a day geared toward the entire family.”

Holidays on the frontier were a time to celebrate and feast. Given a lack of lavish offerings, homesteaders worked for weeks in advance to prepare simple gifts for each other. Improvised toys and homemade dolls were favorites.

A number of special activities will be highlighted during the event. On December 3, 2005 at 1 p.m., Elder Ron Thurber, director of Mormon Winter Quarters and the Kanesville Tabernacle, will unveil The Handcart Pioneers, a statue now located in the atrium of the Western Historic Trails Center. Two thousand and six is the sesquicentennial of the Mormon handcart trek to Zion. At 2 p.m., Elder Thurber will speak in the theater on The Pioneer Christmas.

On Sunday at 2 p.m., Saundra Leininger will present An Icarian Christmas. She will share traditions of the French Icarian immigrants who settled in Corning, IA.

Please call the Western Historic Trails Center at 712-366-4900 for more information.

The Western Historic Trails Center is operated by the State Historical Society of Iowa, a trustee of Iowa’s historical legacy and an advocate for understanding Iowa’s past. It identifies, records, collects, preserves, manages and provides access to Iowa’s historical resources. Its dual mission of preservation and education serves Iowans of all ages, conducts and stimulates research, disseminates information, and encourages and supports historical preservation and education efforts of others throughout the state.

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