COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Officials with a Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs say they soon expect to reach a milestone in the number of its visitors.
Museum and collections manager Patricia LaBounty told the Daily Nonpareil on Friday that the museum was more than 450 people away from reaching its 300,000th visitor mark. She says that several big tours are scheduled for Tuesday.
The 300,000th visitor to the museum will receive several items, including a one-year Patron Membership worth $100.

The museum formally opened in May 2003. Visitors can explore a collection of artifacts, photographs and documents from the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad and settlement of the West. LaBounty said the museum saw its attendance dip in 2011, but has since seen an increase in the number of visitors.