Mission:

The Plattsmouth Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization that advocates for all businesses and professional people in and around Plattsmouth.

The Chamber adds strength to our business-community image, assists with economic development, and is a liaison between the private and public sector.

History:

The early historic settlers were Indians of the Otoe Tribe. On June 2, 1739 Frenchmen, Pierre and Paul Mallet reached the mouth of a river they called the “Platte”. On Friday, July 20, 1804, Merriwether Lewis and William Clark and their expedition camped at the foot of a high bluff along the banks of the Missouri River, in what is now known as Cass County. They passed Weeping Water, noted in the journal as named by the French “L’eauqui Pieure” (Weeping Water); from there they passed along the eastern boundary of Cass County and on Saturday, July 21, 1804 they reached the mouth of the Platte River during a rain storm.

Stephen Long’s expedition passed through, reaching the mouth of the Platte on September 17, 1819 after coming up the Missouri in ‘Western Engineer’ the first steamboat to navigate the upper Missouri. The Fremont Expedition of 1842, including John C. Fremont, located their camp southeast of the present site of Plattsmouth. The bluff where they camped is known as ‘Fremont’s Point’.

In 1848, Libeas T. Coon, established a ferry across the Missouri River for the conveyance of the Mormons who were moving westward to Utah. The Ox-Bow Trail was established along the south bank of the Platte. The 1849 Gold Seekers also followed along that trail. The first permit was granted to Samuel Martin in 1853 to established a trading post near the Platte and Missouri Rivers.

October 26, 1854 the Plattsmouth Town Company was established and the city was mapped out by Surveyor O.W. Tyson. The Burlington and Missouri Railroad was headquartered in Plattsmouth in 1869. The first locomotive, the “American Eagle” was brought to Plattsmouth by boat. The Cass County Courthouse was constructed in 1892. It is considered a classic that is still in its original form.

According to logbooks, 125 covered wagons were ferried across the Missouri River on May 9, 1865 and 2,360 wagons were ferried across in the month of May 1865. In 1860, the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad came to Plattsmouth. In 1891, the Missouri Pacific Railroad brought north-south transportation.