Council Bluffs Bowling History

For 62 years there was a bowling alley at the corner of Pierce and State Streets in Council Bluffs. It had several owners and went by several names.  Ed Delehant Sr. built Delehant's Bowl at 15 State Street on the site of the historic Clausen residence which had stood since 1874, itself being on the site of the old mission blockhouse, the first building built in Council Bluffs. The bowling alley opened on October 29, 1954, with 14 lanes and semi-automatic pinsetters (still needed pin boys). One year later fully automatic pinsetters were installed – the first in Council Bluffs. The mention of the roof is ironic considering what happens in 1971. You can see the old ball return racks and masking units in this matchbook photo. Delehant's Bowl in 1956. Nonpareil photo from the Council Bluffs Library. In March of 1957, Ed Delehant decided to retire, and sold the bowling alley to Leonard and John Anderson. Leonard was one of the better bowlers in Council Bluffs. His brother John was ...

Ed Delehant Sr. 1964 Council Bluffs Men's Bowling Hall of Fame Photo  No one person had more of an influence on 20th century organized bowling in Council Bluffs, Iowa than Ed Delehant Sr. Before his arrival and his establishment of the Broadway Recreation Parlor in 1930, bowling in Council Bluffs was almost exclusively a game played by adult men in saloons and men’s clubs. These bowling alleys were often in basements, and rarely more than two lanes. Delehant’s Broadway Recreation Parlor was a clean and modern ten lane bowling alley that made bowling fun and competitive for men, women, and children. He, his wife, his children, and his grandchildren, have been top bowling competitors and bowling center proprietors almost continuously from those early years clear until the time of this writing, in 2022. Edward Joseph Delehant was born on October 15, 1892, in Blue Springs, Nebraska. He was the second child of prosperous farmers, Dan and Hattie Delehant. Ed married Blue Springs native, ...