After a 6-1/2 hour, 380 mile drive from Waterloo, IA, we arrived in beautiful Mitchell, SD. This town is famous(?) for one thing - the "Corn Palace". This edifice was constructed so that area farmers could "show off" all the crops they were able to grow out here. When Lewis and Clark first came through here, they declared that the land would "yield no crops", and was, therefore, useless. Thus the Corn Palace! The first "palace" was built in 1892, but was rebuilt 21 years later, in 1913, because the original building was too small. In 1923, the Corn Palace was again rebuilt, in a different location, and is the building which still stands today. In was renovated in 2000 with the addition of minarets. The outside of the building is redone every year, to keep the corn looking "fresh" (at a cost of $130,000). The ears of corn are sliced in half, length-wise, and nailed to the building. There are 5 different types of corn used in the design of the exterior, to get the coloration. The Corn Palace is used for shows, conventions and basketball games. It is one of the "Top 10 High School Basketball arenas" in the country.
Now you know!
Also found in Mitchell - Cabela's, "the World's Foremost Outfitter", a Wal-Mart SuperCenter, and Ruby Tuesday's!
Tomorrow we head into "the Badlands"! Stay tuned for that post.
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