Mitchell

The first part of June 2021 brings us traveling to South Dakota! We arrived in Mitchell and immediately drove by the World's Only Corn Palace. It is corny - of course! There is some serious history here, too. The palace was built in 1892 to dramatically display the harvest of South Dakota farmers. There were at least 34 others. This is the only remaining one. It was rebuilt in 1920 due to the serious fire risk of the wooden structure AND the intense infiltration of pests such as birds, bugs and rats... shudder! Great care was taken to contain and eliminate the estimated 50,000+ rats so they didn't run into the city as the building came down.

The displays inside and out are amazing when you consider the scale and materials for the work. They rebuild the outside each year with corn, oats, rye and wheat. It takes most of the summer. Inside is some historical information and the gift shop, of course. We recommend watching the brief video about the history to truly appreciate what has been happening here for 100 years and why.

June 2021