It could well be the world’s largest monument to a single crop, rising from the prairie like a Russian czarist shrine. A palatial structure of onion domes and minarets that pays homage to America’s number one crop: corn. The Corn Palace helped put little Mitchell, South Dakota on the map and has been attracting visitors for more than a century.
The first Corn Palace was built of wood and ears of corn in 1892, decades after Lewis and Clark declared the area unfit for farming. To prove them wrong, local boosters used the Palace as a lure for settlers and homesteaders moving west. The gimmick worked so well that construction on a larger Corn Palace began in 1905 and was supplanted by another in 1921.
Some 350,000 ears of corn cover the Corn Palace. Each ear is sawed in half and nailed onto 13 exterior murals designed by a local artist. The Mitchell Chamber of Commerce has dubbed this “earchitecture” and the job of decorating the Palace has belonged to Dean Strand for 24 years. He’s also developed hybrid corn in a cornucopia of distinct colors that make up the murals.
Locals call the Corn Palace the world’s largest bird feeder since the cobs and kernels attract birds from all over. Hungry birds and Mitchell’s wild weather take their toll on the building and it’s a big job to keep it in tip top shape.
Along with being a tourist attraction, the Corn Palace boasts a three thousand-seat arena used for local basketball games, school proms and graduations. Plus, it’s a popular stop for traveling theatre groups and musicians. What do Lawrence Welk, Chubby Checker, and the band Styx have in common? They’ve all played the Corn Palace.
See the Corn Palace for yourself on its live web cam at www.cornpalace.org Look for the small camera icon on the upper right side of the home page.
Alas, Mitchell may have the longest lasting Corn Palace, but not the first. That’s according to contributors to RoadsideAmerica.com Readers claim that the first Corn Palace was built in Sioux City, Iowa in 1892 but was dismantled shortly after. |
