The Corn Palace

The Corn Palace stands tall in a small town in South Dakota.( Photo by Parkerdr-Wikipedia)

Everyone has heard of many of the major tourist attractions in South Dakota:  Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Deadwood, and Sioux Falls.  But few have heard of a place called The Corn Palace.  So, if you are headed to Mount Rushmore, check out one of the more agrarian wonders of the region.

In 1892, a wooden castle was constructed on Main Street in Mitchell, South Dakota.  It was originally referred to as “The Corn Belt Exposition” and was built to encourage settlers to move into the area.  The exposition showcased the rich soil of the region.  Over the years, the palace has undergone some renovations and rebuildings.  One of those came as a part of a campaign for Mitchell to become the state capital.  In 1937 Moorish domes were added to the palace as were minarets.  It is these two designs that really make the Palace stand out.  The architectural firm responsible for the design was Rapp and Rapp of Chicago.

The is unique as its exterior is decorated with a set theme each year with murals made of corn.  One visitor to the Palace remarked,  “The birds just come up and try to eat the Palace.”  All of the designs are created by local artists.  For twenty-four years, from 1948-1970, Oscar Howe was the designer.   Calvin Shultz took over the designing of the murals from 1977 until 2002.  Since that time, the murals have been the creations of Cherie Ramsdell.  Only once since its creation has the Place not received a new design for the year.  In 2006, due to extreme drought in the region, no design was created.  It costs about $130,000 annually to decorate the Palace.

While the Corn Palace is a real tourist attraction, it serves the community in a variety of ways.  Concerts are held there as well as sporting events.  The Palace houses a number of exhibits and hosts community events throughout the year.

The City of Mitchell celebrates each year with the Corn Palace Festival.  In the past, this festival was held in September, the tradition harvest time for corn in the region. In recent years, the festival has been held at the end of the month of August.  In July, the town celebrates with the Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo.  In September, the Palace is home to the Polka Festival.

The Corn Palace is home court for the Dakota Wesleyan University Tigers and Mitchell High School Kernels basketball teams. The Corn Palace pulls in some pretty big names for visitors.  President Barack Obama visited the Corn Place in 2008.  So if you are in the area, check out this Palace of Corn.