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1.   The original Corn Palace, built in 1892.
It was conceived and built by the Corn Belt
Real Estate Association, city fathers of the
12-year-old town of Mitchel, South Dakota.
Originally called The Corn Belt Exposition,
its purpose was to show the fertility of the
South Dakota soil. It was a 100 x 66-foot
wooden structure with a dirt floor, built for
$2,976.48.


2.   The second Corn Palace was larger:
125 x 142. In 1905, in just 55 days, they
tore down the old corn palace and built this
new, larger one a few blocks away at a
cost of $15,000.


 3.  In 1919, due to concerns for public
safety in a corn-and-wood building, the third
and current Corn Palace was built, made of
steel and brick, with corn decorating every
surface. It was constructed to be a multi-
purpose building for the community. It was
completed in 1921.


Photos on the walls inside show how the
Corn Palace has looked over the years
.




 

 

     The Corn Palace - Mitchell, South Dakota Dakota
The Corn Palace is a quirky monument to corn. There have been 3 completely different corn palaces over the years. These photos show just a few of its many incarnations. 		   
     


Corny Facts
275,000 multi-colored ears of corn adorn the
Corn Palace.  Incredibly, all 275,000 ears
are removed and replaced each summer
in a totally new design.



The annual theme is selected each year by
the Corn Palace Committee, along with
artist Cherie Ramsdell. About 20 local
residents are hired each summer to turn
her plan into reality.



Unusual jobs: In Mitchell they call it "ear-chitecture" and "corn-by- number": These
guys have the unusual job of removing and replacing the 275,000 ears of corn that are
used to create the decorative murals.



Here they're marking which of the eleven
different colors of corn goes where. Then
they simply nail the ears of corn to the
pattern.The process takes about 3 months.



The new design is drawn on black roofing
paper. Every year there's a new theme.



The decorative materials include 11 different
colors of corn, as well as native grasses and grains.  



The Corn Palace not only hosts over half a
million tourists each summer, but is also
used by the Mitchell community throughout
the year, for area basketball games (150
a year!), stage shows, trade shows, proms
and graduations, even the Shrine Circus.

 

  
     
       
           You'll find the Corn Palace at 604 N. Main St., Mitchell, S.D.   Admission is FREE.
       

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