Mitchell, SD: Corn Palace and Carnegie

Mitchell, SD

Corn Palace Facts:

• The palace is redecorated every year sporting a new theme.
• 600,000 pieces of corn are used to decorate the outside of the building.
• 3,000 bushels of grains and grasses are also used, including milo, rye and sour dock
• Nine different colors of Indian corn are needed to create the pictures.
• Over a ton of nails, staples and wire are used to fasten the corn and grasses.
• Approximately $100,000 is spent each year for redecorating.
• Cal Shultz, a local artist, has been designing the murals since 1977
• The first corn palace was constructed in 1892 to show that South Dakota had a healthy agricultural climate.
• The current building was completed in 1921. The first level had to be non-combustible. 

Our tour guide was the model for the clown. He is a Shriner and often wears a clown costume.

The inside of the building has a large meeting space that is rented out for local events.  All of the murals are made with corn and grasses. The room was set up for the graduation for the local high school 

It's not easy to see, but the designs for each mural are first drawn on paper, then projected on large sheets that are stapled to the building. The design shows what color corn is placed where.

They have pictures of the corn palace decoration for every year. 

The first Corn Palace was constructed in 1892. The Corn Palace was meant to show that South Dakota had a favorable agricultural climate. 

Even the girls got to see the building!

We also visited the Carnegie Library Building which houses the Carnegie Resource Center

Artist Oscar Howe painted the dome in 1949, and refurbished it in 1970

The building now houses a collection of Oscar Howe's paintings and an eclectic mix of local memorabilia including many Corn Palace souvenirs from years past. One side of the library has documents for local genealogy, including phone books, newspapers and school yearbooks through the years.