We had a very pleasant first day out - no rain! It has rained and rained in the Upper Midwest, and there were a few stormy areas south of us, but we lucked out. All the rivers look bank full but not flooded. The crops in general look great - most farmers got their crops planted and are going to do well this year, but there are a few areas that are too soggy for planting.
We are heading west and are in Mitchell, SD tonight. We had driven through here several years ago but didn't do any sightseeing. We decided to go out to dinner and afterward we easily found the Corn Palace, for which Mitchell is widely known. This edifice was first built in 1892 to showcase the corn grown in the area. In 1905 it was rebuilt - bigger, I think, and was an attempt to get the capital changed from Pierre to Mitchell - it didn't work. In 1921 it was rebuilt again, and this is essentially the structure that exists today.
We saw a display of early photos, and the original 1921 building had no minarets - those apparently were added in 1937. The building is built of wood, but annually the exterior is decorated with corn - all parts of a corn plant - in outstanding designs that give the Palace a distinctive appearance. The corn murals are works of art. The inside of the building is also decorated and houses a large multi use center - a basketball court, a stage, and the area can be used for conventions, meetings, etc. When not in use for these purposes, it contains a very large gift shop with all kinds of kitschy stuff. Gary got a really nice sweatshirt. He can claim roots in South Dakota - both his parents are from this state.
We enjoyed our evening in Mitchell which is also home to Dakota Wesleyan University that has a lovely small campus.
Here are several photos I snapped as we walked around.
This is a photo of a photo of the 1964 Palace which shows how different the designs can look each year.
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