Anyone who has ever received a postcard knows they’re tiny windows to far away places, transporting us to different landscapes and realities. Sometimes those places are so enticing they make us wish we lived close enough to pay them a visit! The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota is one of these places. Have a look:
No… those are not huge tapestries on the walls… they’re murals made out of corn!
Built in 1921 in the Moorish Revival style, the Corn Palace is an arena where different types of events take place. But the special thing about it is that every single year its facades are decorated by local artists using corn ears, as well as other grains and native grasses. Corn is a major crop in the area – and they’re proud of it!
Postcards from the Corn Palace tell the story of each year’s theme. 1957's theme was “Popular Athletic Games and Attractions in the State”:
In 1999, the theme was “Building as a nation”:
And in 2009, “American’s destinations” were featured:
Between Memorial Day and Labour day each year, a theme is picked and new decorations are stapled and nailed to the walls, and you can follow the corn-structions on their Corn Cam. :) The theme for 2015 is “South Dakota’s 125th”, so if you’re in the area, go check it out – and maybe grab a postcard for the rest of us!
A big thank you to Brenda (aka 9teen87), who owns a huge postcard collection, and brought these great postcards to our attention. You can see these and other interesting postcard topics on her blog.
26 comments so far
Wow. They do look wonderful. I agree with the first paragraph. I have received many great postcards and have added many a place to my "must visit" list. Now if I can only live 'til I'm 200 and have the health ..
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I love the Corn Palace! Such a fun and unique place to visit. And close to famous Wall Drug (home of Free Ice Water and 5 cent coffee... not to mention, rack after rack of postcards!!)
You really would that you could visit, looks amazing!!
Thanks for charing this amzaing place of corn.
Thank you for sharing....
Wonderful!
Another great use for postcards. ;) Thanks for sharing. :)
Wow! Thank you for this amazing story.
interesting palace! thanks for sharing this lovely thing :D
It is a lot of fun to visit as they are decorating and see them actually making the murals.
Thanks for the post! It's very interesting! Wish we had more such posts, both about places and postcards.
I actually have a postcard from the 1980 Corn Palace when the theme was "South Dakota Recreation". The photo was by Clyde Goin from Mitchell...within the description it said that a fire in 1979 destroyed the large center dome.
The post helped me learn so much more. Thank you.
Great post!! ;-) I love searching for Corn Palace postcards at postcard shows. They are a lot of fun to collect.
That does impress me much ;-)
Am I a terrible person for reading betslets's post and thinking, "I wonder how much popcorn that made?"
It is a magnificent place to visit! So many wonderful things in the MIDDLE of the US, in addition to the coasts. Come to the middle and you'll not regret it. Thanks for featuring these beautiful cards.
I wonder how they do that!?
Interesting haha))
I received a Corn Palace card last year and have been looking for others since then! It is the 2011 design!
The Corn Palace is located a 2-hr drive from where I live! :)
I've visited the Corn Palace three times in my life. Twice as a child and once as an adult. It's an awesome place and worthy of a visit for sure. Also, when you're in South Dakota, you should visit Wall Drug Store. It's a super tourist trap, but it's worth a visit.
Very cool. How did I miss this when I was in South Dakota?!
My parents took me there when I was a child. I in turn took my children there. It was just as fantastic the second and third times.
I visited the Corn Palace once some years ago. I have a blank postcard of it which sadly doesn't list a date for the murals, but it isn't any of the years shown above. The back says "The original Corn Palace, called "The Corn Belt Exposition" was established in 1892. The third and present building was completed for its first festival at the present location in 1921."
Does any one at all have postcards from here? This is SO cool!
Oh, I found a matching image online, and my postcard is from 2003. The date is photoshopped out so they could sell the postcards in later years. Thanks for the tip Betslets!
http://www.cityose.com/index.php?city=Mitchell&state=South%20Dakota
My family lives in Mitchell, SD, and we visited this summer. The Corn Palace is currently being updated and improved. It should be awesome when they get it done. There are more murals made from corn inside as well. The best part are the homemade popcorn balls and fresh popcorn sold at the concession stand. Best ever!
I also recommend Wall Drug.
Both the Corn Palace and Wall Drug are a perfect stop for the postcard collector!
Thanks for posting!
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