Mitchell in Davison County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

The World's Only Corn Palace

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 16, 2026

1. The World's Only Corn Palace Marker (front)

Inscription.

HOW IT BEGAN
The city's first corn palace was built as a way to prove to the world that South Dakota had a healthy agricultural climate. Eight years before the turn of the 20th century, in 1892 (when Mitchell, South Dakota was a small, 12-year-old city of 3,000 inhabitants) the World's Only Corn Palace was established on the city's Main Street.

During it's over 100 years of existence, it has become known worldwide and now attracts more than a half a million visitors annually.

The palace was conceived as a gathering place where city residents and their rural neighbors could enjoy a fall festival with extraordinary stage entertainment-a celebration to climax a crop-growing season and harvest.

This tradition continues today with the annual Corn Palace Festival held in late August each year.

By 1905 the success of the Corn Palace had been assured and a new Palace was to be built, but this building soon became too small.

In 1919, the decision to build a third Corn Palace was made. This one was to be permanent and more purposeful than its predecessors.

The present building was completed in 1921,

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

just in time for the Corn Palace Festivities. That winter Mitchell hosted its first boy's state basketball tournament. The building was considered to have the finest basketball arena in the upper Midwest area.

In the 1930's, steps were taken to recapture the artistic decorative features of the building and minarets and kiosks of Moorish design were added restoring the appearance of early day Corn Palace.

As time passed, the corn palace saw many hardships, with the most memorable being the elimination of grains from the decorating process in 1944-45 during World War II.

The end of the war brought rejuvenation with the hiring of Native American artist, Oscar Howe, to design the murals in 1947.

OSCAR HOWE
A second-floor exhibit space is dedicated to Oscar Howe, the world-renowned Native American artist who served as the longest running Corn Palace mural designer. The gallery offers images of many of the murals he created from 1948-1971.

THE CORN PALACE TODAY
The World's Only Corn Palace is Mitchell's premier tourist attraction. This beautiful, whimsical community icon has attracted the unusual, the notable and

The World's Only Corn Palace Marker (back) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 16, 2026

2. The World's Only Corn Palace Marker (back)

the road- weary to Mitchell's Main Street for more than 125 years.

Some 500,000 tourists come from around the nation each year to see the uniquely designed corn murals.

Today, the Corn Palace is more than the home of the festival or a point of interest of tourists. It is a practical structure adaptable to many purposes. Included among its many uses are industrial exhibits, dances, stage shows, meetings, banquets, proms, graduations arena for Mitchell High School (Kernels) and Dakota Wesleyan University as well as district, regional and state basketball tournaments. USA Today named the Corn Palace one of the top 10 places in America for high school basketball.

[Back panel]
AN ANNUAL ROYAL TRANSFORMATION
The Corn Palace is known around the world as a folk-art wonder on the prairie of South Dakota. The Palace is redecorated each year with naturally colored corn, grains and native grasses to make it "the agricultural show-place of the world".

A different theme is chosen each year, and murals are designed by local students at Dakota Wesleyan University to reflect that theme.

The decorating process usually starts

The World's Only Corn Palace Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 16, 2026

3. The World's Only Corn Palace Marker

in late May with the removal of the rye and dock. The corn murals are stripped at the end of August and the new ones are completed by the first of October.

Just like South Dakota Agriculture, growing condition can affect production of our decorating materials and may delay the decorating process.

"CORN-BY-NUMBER" DECORATING
We currently use 12 different colors or shades of corn to decorate the Corn Palace: red, brown, black, blue, white, orange, calico, yellow and now we have green corn!

Over the summer, 3,000 bushels or rye, oat heads and sour dock are tied in bundles and attached. When the crop is ready, roughly 325,000 ears of corn are sawed in half lengthwise and nailed to the building following patterns created by local artists.

All summer long you can watch this unique redecorating process being completed.

CORN-MITTED TO HERITAGE
The Palace continually undergoes corn-struction projects to enhance the visitors experience inside and out. A viewing balcony, the Corn Palace Plaza, selfie-worthy signage and sculptures, the welcoming entrance and lobby with beautiful Italian-tiled pillars that evoke cobs

Adjacent Mitchell SD Informational Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 16, 2026

4. Adjacent Mitchell SD Informational Marker

Not transcribed

of corn demonstrate that we are corn-mitted to our heritage.

The inside offers images of the Corn Palace through the years and artwork describing the many performers who have graced the Palace stage from Lawrence Welk to Pat Benatar.

CORN-NECTIONS
www.mitchellsd.com
www.cornpalace.com
Facebook - @SDCornPalace
Instagram - worldsonlycornpalace
Twitter [X] - @Corn_Palace

#CornPalace, #MitchellSD, #Popcorn
#WorldsOnlyCornPalace

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Architecture • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1892.

Location. 43° 42.867′ N, 98° 1.507′ W. Marker is in Mitchell, South Dakota, in Davison County. It is at the intersection of Main Street and 6th Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Main Street. Markers are in the Corn Palace Plaza, adjacent south of The Corn Palace, under the pavilion. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 600 North Main Street, Mitchell SD 57301, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East River

and specifically in the James River Valley.

It is also

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 16, 2026

5. Adjacent Mitchell SD Informational Marker

Not transcribed

in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Corn Palace (a few steps from this marker); Corn Palace Plaza (a few steps from this marker); Oscar Howe & Marilyn Wounded Head (within shouting distance of this marker); 5th Avenue & Main Street (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Grand Lodge of North Dakota Organized Here (about 300 feet away); Carl Gunderson: (about 400 feet away); Davison County, South Dakota, Veterans Memorial (about 700 feet away); Sgt. John R. "Jack" Thurman, USMC (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mitchell.

Also see . . . The World's Only Corn Palace. (Submitted on September 24, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 24, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 11 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 24, 2026, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.