The World Famous "Corn Palace"

Mitchell, SD

First introduced in Mitchell in 1892, the "world's only Corn Palace" this is the way it looked that year.  It's face may have changed many times but the Corn Palace still draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to Mitchell each year. With agriculture the primary economic base of the region, Mitchell's town leaders decided to erect a monument to the areas dominant crop. Thus the birth of the Corn Palace. The first Corn Palace, shown in the photo to the right was built in a 66 by 100 foot area at the corner of Fourth and Main at a cost of just $2,976.48. This is just a brief sampling of the colorful history Davison County has enjoyed over the years. Mitchell continues to be the regional shopping hub of the area. And, the Corn Palace Festival continues to draw thousands of visitors each summer. Many notable celebrities have performed there over the years including Lawrence Welk, Red Skelton, Andy Williams, Tennessee Ernie Ford just to name a few.

Click image to go to Corn Palace Website
Every Year the Corn Palace returns with a fresh new theme, when we were there in July of 2007 the theme was "Salute to Rodeo" the Corn Palace is a very interesting place with the entire building being covered in corn and other vegetation, along with hundreds of murals as well.

Click image to see all pictures from our visit