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Mitchell, South Dakota

Everything Mitchell is known for

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History of Mitchell

The World's Only Corn Palace RoadyGoat

1892

At 604 North Main Street in Mitchell stands the World's Only Corn Palace, a Moorish-domed civic hall whose exterior murals are rebuilt every year entirely out of crops. The first Corn Palace went up in 1892 to prove that young South Dakota could grow things and to lure settlers; the current building dates to 1921, and the onion domes and minarets were added in 1937. Each year artists design fresh murals and workers nail them up using naturally colored corn cut in half lengthwise, plus other grains and native grasses — roughly three hundred twenty-five thousand ears and a million-plus nails go into a single season's panels. The old murals come down at the end of August and the new ones are finished by October. It still hosts basketball games, concerts and the fall Corn Palace Festival.

Corn Palace: Mitchell's Monument to the Harvest

1892

Since 1892, Mitchell has decorated its civic auditorium with elaborate murals made entirely from corn, grain, and native grasses, drawing half a million visitors a year to the self-proclaimed Corn Capital of the World.

The Great Sioux Agreement of 1889: How Dakota Became Two States

1889

On November 2, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison signed proclamations admitting both North Dakota and South Dakota as states, deliberately shuffling the documents so that neither could claim to have been admitted first.

Everything Near Mitchell

5 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

  • Corn Palace: Mitchell's Monument to the Harvest · Historical Marker

    Since 1892, Mitchell has decorated its civic auditorium with elaborate murals made entirely from corn, grain, and native grasses, drawing half a million visitors a year to the self-proclaimed Corn Capital of the World.

  • The World's Only Corn Palace · 0.2 mi

    At 604 North Main Street in Mitchell stands the World's Only Corn Palace, a Moorish-domed civic hall whose exterior murals are rebuilt every year entirely out of crops. The first Corn Palace went up in 1892 to prove…

  • The Great Sioux Agreement of 1889: How Dakota Became Two States · 1.5 mi · Historical Marker

    On November 2, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison signed proclamations admitting both North Dakota and South Dakota as states, deliberately shuffling the documents so that neither could claim to have been admitted first.

  • Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village · 2.2 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Imagine a bustling village here over 1,000 years ago! This isn't just any spot; it's the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village, a window into the lives of ancestors of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people. Around 900…

  • Fort James (South Dakota) · 3.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Imagine life on the edge of the frontier! Fort James, established in 1866, was a short-lived attempt to bring order to the Dakota Territory. Built by the U.S. Army, Fort James served as a cavalry outpost. Its purpose…

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