My favorite South Dakota hangout is "Hooky Jack's" in Rapid. It's named after Jack Leary, a man who suffered a mining accident and lost both of his hands. He became the town ambassador as well as a policeman and they gave him the bar to keep him out of trouble. The town so loved him that when students from the School of Mines left him hanging up by his hooks from a fence, they were publicly caned in the town square. If there was someone who deserved a short video about a unique person from SD, I think it is him.
That's really cool! You should consider recreating that photo with your sweetheart in the same place in 2029, to commemorate the centennial of your family's history.
Driving back to Arkansas from Montana, I laughed at my husband for even suggesting the “Corn Palace” but it was so much fun! We were able to bring our puppy with us too. It was definitely an experience!
My father was a professional truck driver his entire working career. He drove car carriers for several years, delivering new Ford cars to every state in the USA. He made several trips to Mitchell, SD to deliver new cars to the local dealerships and took many photos of the Mitchell Corn Palace with his slide camera. Somewhere in his old slide decks is a series of photos with the yearly updates to the Corn Palace murals.
I'm from St. Louis (b 1951). In July, 1966, my family drove to Yellowstone via the recently openned I-90 through Mitchell, SD. Dad wanted to visit the Corn Palace. Ten years later I moved to Honolulu. One of my roomies, two years my junior, had recently been mustered out of the Navy. He was from Madison, SD., about an hour northeast of Mitchell. We become inseprable, bonding over our love for the Corn Palace. Two years later I was back on the mainland. In late September, a friend and I drove from Columbia, Mo. to Pullman, Wash. Along the way we stopped in Madison to visit my roomies' mother. Naturally we made a pilgrimage to the Corn Palace. Surprise! It was during the Corn Festival. My companion was a quick convert.
In 1970, when I was 10, my family took a road trip across the contry from Pennsylvania to California. The Corn Palace was one of the stops we made. It was well worth the time to stop and see the unique artwork and learn the history of the place. I am thankful that I had the oppertunity to experience it. Thank you for telling others of our history.
That shade at North Dakota at the end was SAVAGE. Gotta love regional rivalries. As a Kentuckian, I can tell you those hoosiers from across the river in the land of corn and soybeans cant drive a lick.
what, Ohio? nah ohio drivers are some of the best. Maybe not the city folk yuppie in the big cities, but thats everywhere. The real issue is, city folk cant drive for shit.
@CD-CH-EB you seem a bit lacking in the reading comprehension department, but that's standard for a buckeye. He clearly said Hoosier, which is a nickname for those of us from the fair state of Indiana
Rivalries are great! As a proud Wisconsinite, I assure you that FIBs (our name for Illinoians) are horrible drivers. Almost all of them seem to drive north every weekend. They don't understand the concept of turn signals and can't navigate a roundabout to save their lives.
I'm a Texan and had never heard of a Corn Palace. About 35 odd years ago I found myself in Mitchell S.D. for a week and there the Corn Palace was, in all it's glory! It's quite a curiosity to see, that's for sure.
I accidently discovered the Corn Palace while driving from Charlottesville Virginia to Missoula Montana. I was so surprised such a place still existed I stopped and took a bunch of pictures to send back home. I was delighted to see it pop up on the History Guy! You should do one on Wall Drug as well, another amazing place I didn't know existed until I turned off the highway looking for coffee and a restroom.
I remember going to the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD back in 1977 when we took a family vacation around the USA. Art work was well done and my mom loved it.
I visited there in 76 or 77 as well. My grandfather grew and sold sweet corn at a local market here in Ohio. My father wanted to visit as an homage to his dad.
My Granny was from Canistota, South Dakota. My summers included a trip up there from our home in Texas, with my Grandparents, to visit family and the sites. The Corn Palace was part of the necessary destinations. Wonderful cherished memories!
As a child in rural North Carolina, I was told stories about the "Great Corn Palaces." My Paternal grandmother would tell me about them, and lament how farmers here were looked down on as 'dirt poor dirt farmers' and wished we had the respect that the midwesterner's showed farmers. I think one of my uncles that had been hired to migrant farm tobacco up in Canada around the turn of the last century even got to see one of the palaces. *Edited for misspellings
In 2012 my husband and I took a cross country road trip during which we came upon the Mitchell Corn Palace. We were lucky enough to be able to view a competition called a "Pedal Pull". Quite interesting. My husband also partook of his first corndog! What a lovely memory.
We stopped to see the Corn Palace during a trip west in the late 1990s. Loved it and have always remembered it. I loved seeing the doll museum across the street, too, with many doll houses, if I recall correctly. It was a very nice stop in Mitchell. Would love to see the Corn Palace again sometime. LOL on North Dakota! I have not been able to visit there yet. Maybe some day...
I stopped here with my dad during a road trip back from Yellowstone as a child. There’s still a picture somewhere of me standing in front of the palace with a corn cob shaped hat
Many years ago, my Son and I stopped at the Corn Palace for a visit. The very precocious young man surprised me with His great interest and attention to it's yearly construction techniques. He normally would like video games, etc. We had camped and visited several National parks and historical sites the previous days. We had stopped in Mitchell for the night where my Son wanted to stay for at least night in a motel. After breakfast the next morning we saw a procure showing the palace and we decided to see it.
The Mitchell Corn Palace was lovingly remembered by my dad. We did a cross country road trip together the summer I turned 21 and Mitchell was one of our must see destinations. Best summer of my life, that trip!
9 yrs ago on a trip from Georgia to Washington we stopped in Mitchell SD to see the corn palace. It was very impressive and I hope to make a return trip someday.
I went to South Dakota for the first time in 2019. My gg grandmother was born in Vermillion and I wanted to see that place as well as Mt. Rushmore and DeSmet. It is a beautiful state and full of interesting sights and lovely people. I would love to see the Corn Palace one day.
On a 2018 road trip, after the Iowa State Fair, we stopped at the Corn Palace along with Rushmore, Bad Lands NP, Wall Drugs, and Mammoth dig site. And then headed south to Colorado.
Thank you so much for this episode! It was so cool to hear The History Guy mention Plankinton, which is where we live now, and finding out that the first corn palace was in Iowa, my home state. I'm tickled right to my toes!!
We journeyed on a lengthy road earlier this year, and one stop was to the Mitchell, SD Corn Palace. It's visually impressive, and reminded me of so many of the floats in the Rose Parade. We also went through Sioux City, not realizing it was the "corn birthplace" of corn palaces. Thanks for elaborating on the history!
Back in 1992 I spend a day at the Mitchell corn Palace on route to North Carolina from the San Francisco Bay Area. I had a good time and took lots of pictures. So I really enjoyed this episode. Then again, I enjoy everything you do, History Guy!
Back in 1962 my sister and I visited our grandparents in PA (we had moved to AZ in 1955). Grandpa drove us back to Phoenix the long way - meaning we got to see many things thst were “off the beaten pass” - one was the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD - which I still remember vividly,y here in 2024! What an amazing building!!! And all the colors!!!
My family stopped by the Corn Palace on two separate summer cross country camping trips in the late 90s and early 2000s. Sadly the photos from those trips were destroyed when there was flooding due to heavy rain. One thing that stuck in my memory from that time was across the street from the Corn Palace was this doll museum - absolutely full with those creepy looking turn of the century porcelain dolls.
Being born and raised in Bismarck, I felt the burn on that final jab! (lol, well played sir!) I have been to the Corn Palace on several vacations during my youth and went there during my honeymoon. We traveled from Florida to Mt Rushmore and on the Bismarck during our honeymoon. It was at the Corn Palace where my wife first encountered a jackalope. Good memories. From an "unwashed savage" of the North to a a refined Dakotan, best wishes and good health to you and yours. ♫
When driving from Oregon to Minnesota to visit family, we exited the freeway in Mitchell several times to to view the Corn Palace. We always just drove past, but never stopped to go in. Seeing the outside was enough. Thanks for presenting its history.
Wife and I made a road trip to California from Illinois in 22. My family had old pictures from the early sixties of the corn palace so we had to stop. Interesting place from a simpler time. We spent a couple of hours enjoying it. Then off to minute man, badlands, wall drug and Rushmore.
I hope you stopped at Crazy Horse too. It’s not only the most amazing overwhelming thing in SD but in the United States- it’s like watching the building. of the Spinx of Egypt. Mount Rushmore will fit on Crazy Horse’s head!
This is one of those charming episodes that resembles the tales and history recounted in small town half sheet newspapers found in American diners. Btw, part of the ice festival in Montreal includes the Canôt de Glacé - where they race canoes on the ice of the St. Lawrence River.
Can always tell a native South Dakotan when they pronounce our capitol as "Peer" rather than "Peeair" and takes a jab at North Dakota whenever possible. Thanks, great vid. Sturgis native on the West Coast.
It is a site to see. I was fortunate to spend 10+ years in Beautiful South Dakota and enjoyed our yearly visit; the people of South Dakota make the difference & experience worth the drive
As full time RVers we traveled across the Northern part of the country and visited the Corn Palace several times. I also found the pre historic Indian village archeology dig just North of Mitchell to be worth a visit as well.
On a summer morning in 2018, we got in our car in Indiana. At the end of our street, I asked, "Do we turn right or left?" 18 hours later, we wandered up to the front of the Corn Palace. It was our first tourist stop on a week long meandering trip through South Dakota. Definitely in the top 3 vacations ever. No schedule. Just, "Wonder what's over that horizon?" There is always something interesting.
A buddy and I left Eastern South Dakota for a week or so in June 1989 with just one general objective, Montana. Got hungry, found a local cafe, chat with the locals. Oh look, there's a rodeo happening, slammed on the brakes and took it in. Trail riding in the Gallatin Forest, awesome! Countless other impromptu adventures, too many to list. Best trip ever.👍
In about 1960, my family made a classic American road trip. I remember two things. Going to the Corn Palace in Mitchell. It was the kind of thing my mother thought worthy of seeing. I remember pigeons eating away on one of the scenes on the front. Hundreds of pesky pigeons. And when they weren't eating, they were dropping their greeting cards on the crowd. The other memory is of Dad renting an air conditioner for the car. It hung out the passenger side window and didn't work very well, but it was otherwise miserably hot in South Dakota. In 1960, I think. Thanks for the memory, Mom and Dad and thanks H.G. for bringing it to mind.
Well here are some childhood memories. I grew up in Sioux City and had occasion to visit Mitchell a few times. Like Wall Drug and the Badlands, the Corn Palace is a must see on any family road trip through South Dakota.
Thanks for the reminder. Drove through on my way home to LA (1980). There was a carnival in town and a polka championship. Then I saw the Corn Palace! I tell you the only other thing that impressed me as much was the first time I drove through Las Vegas. Two slices of America, same ridiculous moment of glee & national pride.
My bride and I visited the Corn Palace in Mitchell on our honeymoon and we will visit it again in May 2025 on our 50th wedding anniversary.Thanks Lance for another wonderful video.
I grew up in the Twin Cities but went to college in Rapid City. So I drove by the Corn Palace multiple times during those years without stopping. This was back in the late 1980s. I finally stopped by the palace in 2009.
Thanks Lance. Sounds like a fun tradition. It's not as if they could've preserved the USS South Dakota on the Missouri or Big Sioux rivers as a museum ship - though that would've been cool. I'd never been told a thing about "corn palaces".
In the 70's I went on a Station wagon trip with my parents and my little brother from NY to California and back. Rolled in to see the Corn Palace. It was a quiet day. On our way back to the car of course we were checking out the exterior.Coming out of one of the dormers jutting out of the roof were flames! Dad ran back inside. Somebody came out to look with him. Probably thought he was crazy. Soon enough a fire truck pulled into the street between the Palace and a gas station to the right and quickly extinguished the flames.
Having grown up in eastern South Dakota, the thing I remember about the Corn Palace is that my Huron-area high school's band were the pep band for a basketball game there for some reason. (This was almost 30 years ago. I misremember why. Maybe a tournament where we got the band duty for that night, from being one of the schools whose team was in the tournament? idk.) One of my classmates in the percussion section liked to bring a decibel meter when we were in different places to what we were used to, and that was one of our loudest performances I remember it measuring.
I have relatives in both South and North Dakota. Most of them are cousins. Never saw the Corn Palace, though. Creston, Iowa had a Corn Palace that is now the elementary and high school grounds. When I lived there it was within recent memory. Missed seeing that one, too.
Striking out across South Dakota starting from Vermillion`s undeniably unbelievable music instrument museum, per a sisters`s suggestion we dipped down to Mitchell to see the Palace. It was a highlight of the trek. Gotta love Middle America. Where would this country be without it?
Minnesota native here. Very familiar with the Corn Palace in Mitchell. I didn’t know there were others in the past and certainly would never have thought there was any connection to the St. Paul Ice Palaces. Interesting.
We stopped by when driving through on a vacation in the early 2010s/late 2000s. I didn’t really appreciate the history as a kid, just thought it seemed like a regular old conference/expo center with an interesting motif. I appreciate you for making this video!
Your videos are very enjoyable. I have learned more watching these than any history class I have ever taken. Thank you for your hard work. I hope one day to be able to support you financially.
Thank you so much for this episode. I've been to the Mitchell Corn Palace 3 times. Even though it was off season, it was enjoyable. The first reason I was there was because of all the billboards touting the "One and Only, World Famous Corn Palace." Now, who could pass up on an opporunity to see the World Famous Corn Palace? Certainly not me. As the bill boards mentioned every few miles that I was almost there, the excitement was building that I would actually see a wold famous site. When I arrived, there were no crowds or fairs or concerts, just a small town decorated with corn fashion. I just loved it, so much that I went there 2 more times: once on my wandering way to DeSmet, and another on my way to Devil's Tower in you know where. You should have a Saturday morning show on CBS called, "In the History." Remember, "In the News?"
It's a gymnasium decorated with corn. I was more excited to find an open shop on a Saturday morning so i could get my car on a lift to drain the AC box and floorboards before going on to Red Power Roundup. The Platte valley used to be a major sugar beet centered around Grand Island. The Stuhr museum has info about it. With efficient irrigation, the sugar industry got pushed up the North Platte, centered around Scottsbluff and Gering. If you ever get out that way, be sure to stop at the Legacy of the Plains museum beside the monument.
A couple of other examples of this type of architecture included the original Salt Palace in Salt Lake City (which was built out of rock salt), and the Saltair Resort built on the shore of the Great Salt Lake. Both of these buildings were built in the 1890s and used the onion domes of the other themed structures. BTW, I had to laugh when you called South Dakota a mountain west state. Unless I am mistaken, the closest thing to mountains in South Dakota in the Black Hills (which are truly hills and not mountains).
@@LGR605 there is some disagreement, but they are often described as the eastern most extension of the Rocky Mountains. Having grown up in the Western part of the state, we certainly identified with Wyoming and Colorado. The description as “Mountain West” came from my own experience, but I am not offended by other descriptions.
We as a family have stopped at the corn palace every time we pass through Mitchell, when traveling to the Black Hills. Maybe 10 different times throughout my life so far.
In 2004, after flying to see the Iowa State Fair from CA, we drove north to Yellowstone. We passed through Mitchell, SD, and toured the Corn Palace. Wow!
I haven’t gone but one summer my sister and two of our cousins convinced my grandma to take them on a trip up to ND from her house in SD so they could add it to their list of visited states (a little contest they have) and they sent pictures from when they stopped by the corn palace on their way.
The Mitchell Corn Ppalace and Wall Drug are must-stop places for anyone venturing west. My first visit was in1956. It has changed some over the years but it still holds true to its origins.
I’d heard about the place, so while traveling from Des Moines to the Badlands, my wife and I stopped to see what it was all about. Quite an amazing display of time consuming labor to create display. And to think they do it every year.
I have heard about this for years, since the 70s when I first saw it in The Weekly Reader. I have always thought that it was a neat idea and it would probably be a fun thing to actually see one.
My family is from Vermillion. My dad used to tell me about the Corn Palace until I found pictures of it in Encyclopedias and read its history in the early 1970s. Need to stop there the next time I visit my cousins.
Growing up, our only real family vacation was a trip to South Dakota in 1984. It included a stop at the Corn Palace. The outside was interesting to see, but at the time, the only thing going on inside was a non-exciting flea market. It was nice to see it though. I'm hoping to repeat the trip with my grandkids someday.
