We just returned from our "bucket list" trip to South Dakota. We have always talked about visiting the Black Hills, seeing Mount Rushmore and the 'in progress' making of the Crazy Horse monument. Due to a heart attack which my husband Ken had the day before Easter, 2012 we decided that we will make the trip now.
We requested a South Dakota Vacation Guide booklet (saw a TV ad for it....FREE), and decided where to stay and what to do. I had never considered South Dakota to be a "vacation spot"....so was totally unprepared for the many things, places and history that the state offers. Ever heard of the Corn Place in Mitchell, SD? I always thought it was a building full of corn-related items and couldn't figure out why anyone would want to visit a "corn palace"...Surprise, its an amazing building that changes every year.
Since we live in Omaha, NE, our trip started by taking Interstate I-29 to Sioux Falls, SD and then I-90 from Sioux Falls and driving West. Our first main stop (not counting interesting little towns and I-90 rest stops) was the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. The first Corn Palace was built in 1892 to celebrate the harvest and to stimulate economic growth in Mitchell.
Early settlers displayed the fruits of their harvest on the building
exterior in order to prove the fertility of South Dakota soil. More than 3,000 bushels of corn are used to create the murals that decorate the exterior and interior of the Corn Palace. In June of each year, the native grasses on the building are replaced and in August the old corn, sorghum and milo are taken down. The murals, made of various colors of corn, are amazing. Each year exterior decorations are completely stripped down and new murals are
created.. The theme is selected by the Corn Palace Festival
Committee and murals are designed by a local artist.
The Corn Palace is a working building....the surrounding schools use it for basketball tournaments, school functions, and city functions are held there.
So far, the only thing that was a tad annoying is the frequency of road repairs being done. One of the SD natives told me that South Dakota has two seasons....winter season and road repair season!
.
No comments:
Post a Comment