Corn Palace

The Corn Palace

Rising out of the prairie, it looks like a Moorish castle with its colorful minarets, turrets, and domes. But this garish architectural wonder is 100% American. It is Mitchell, South Dakota’s famous Corn Palace, a showcase of South Dakota agriculture and innovation.

When the Lewis and Clark Expedition came through here in 1805, the leaders described the region as the Great American Desert, suitable only for buffalo and impossible to support any type of farming activity. Misters Lewis and Clark may have been fine explorers, but time has proven that their abilities to assess the value of real estate, especially this real estate, was pretty far off the mark. Since the very first sodbuster sank the blade of his shovel in the rich South Dakota soil, the area has provided abundant crops of grains and corn.

In 1892, Mitchell was a small town wanting to put itself on the map and lure settlers to the area. The town fathers came up with the idea of a Corn Palace to reflect the rich agricultural bounty of the land. The first Corn Palace was a 100x66 foot structure, covered on all four sides with corn and local grains. The inside of the wooden building had a dirt floor, there was no lighting, and total construction cost was just under $3,000. A festival was held that September to herald the opening of the building, with local crops and manufactured goods on display, entertainers, and food. The event drew visitors from long distances, many of whom came to realize the opportunities to be had in South Dakota. These newcomers proved the value of the new attraction.

Within just a few years the Corn Palace Festival had grown so large that it outgrew the original building, and in 1905 it was torn down. A new Corn Palace was put up in just 55 days, this one much larger at 125x142 feet. Like the original structure, this wooden building also had dirt floors and no electricity. Both buildings were exquisite in detail, with towers and domes. Cost of building the new Corn Palace was $15,000.

The success and popularity of the Corn Palace and its festival continued to grow, and within fifteen years the community realized it was time to make some changes. Besides being too small, concerns with fire safety had made the wooden structure obsolete and dangerous.

In 1921 the present Corn Palace, a huge concrete and steel building, was completed. Like its predecessors, today’s Corn Palace sports elaborate architecture, including the signature domes and minarets.

The original concept, showcasing South Dakota’s agriculture, remains. The exterior of the Corn Palace is completely decorated with ears of corn and bundles of native grasses and grains. Every year in early summer, the outside is completely stripped and a new design representing a different theme is applied to the walls. This has been done every year since the Corn Palace opened, with the exception of the years during the Great Depression, the two World Wars, and Mitchell’s Centennial year.

The new theme is selected each year by a special committee. This year the subject is the Lewis and Clark Expedition.3,000 bushels of rye, milo, oat heads, and sour dock are tied into bundles and nailed to the building. In the late summer, when the local corn crop matures, the new murals are added.

The process starts with tacking black roofing paper to the sides of the building, and drawing an outline of the new design on the paper. About 275,000 ears of corn in eleven different colors, are sawn in half and nailed onto the design. Think of it as a giant pain-by-numbers kit, using ears of corn instead of paint and a brush! Over 50 local people are hired to do the work, which takes approximately three months and costs over $100,000. The results are truly spectacular!

The Corn Palace Festival is still held each September, drawing large crowds and well known entertainment. A recent year’s lineup includes country music stars Brad Paisley, Glen Campbell, and REO Speedwagon.

The Corn Palace is a multi-use facility, hosting many activities for Mitchell schools and groups, including graduations, basketball games, conventions, and meetings. Every year some 500,000 tourists leave Interstate 90 to visit the Corn Palace and other Mitchell attractions.

A very nice gift shop in the Corn Palace has a wonderful collection of regional souvenirs, books, and other goodies to help you remember your visit.

There is no charge to visit the Corn Palace, and tours are available for groups. The Corn Palace is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily between Memorial Day and Labor Day, unless a special event is being held. Fall and winter hours are shorter. For more information on the Corn Palace, call 1-866-723-2676 or visit their web site at www.cornpalace.org. There is a free public parking lot two blocks away with room to park RVs.

Mitchell has several other attractions visitors will enjoy, including the Middle Border Museum and the Oscar Howe Art Center, located on the campus of Dakota Wesleyan University. Across from the Corn Palace is the Enchanted World Doll Museum, displaying 4,500 antique and modern dolls from all over the world, all posed in scenes reminiscent of nursery rhymes, fairy tales, and life in America in different time periods.

After visiting South Dakota, and the Corn Palace in Mitchell, I have to disagree with Lewis and Clark. South Dakota is well worth a visit, and be sure to include the world’s only corn palace in your itinerary!