If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 569

 

 

 

 

Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota, ca 1950s

 

Two postcards are shared this week.  The card above shows the exterior of the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.  From Dan Grigg Enterprise Co., Mitchell, So. Dakota the card uses a “Curteichcolor” reproduction from Kodachrome original.  The blurb at the upper left on the reverse:  “The World’s Only Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota.”  I found these cards in an Antique Pavillon. The Corn Palace was a place we visited in 2003, so at the bargain price 25 cents each, they got added to the growing collection of postcards. 

 

Beginning about 1887 to the early 1930s crop palaces were built across the Midwest United States to promote the place and the products.  In 1892 the original Mitchell Corn Palace, also known as "The Corn Belt Exposition,” was built over a wooden frame to showcase the rich soil and encourage people to settle in the area.  Of all those built, today only the Mitchell Corn Palace remains intact.  Louis Beckwith, a member of the First Corn Palace Committee, donated land.  The Corn Palace was rebuilt in 1905, 1921, and again in 1937.  In 1937 the Russian-style onion domes and Moorish minarets were added.  In 2015 shaking from strong winds necessitated the renovation and building of new domes. At the same time turrets were constructed of architectural metals.

 

The exterior murals are replaced and redesigned each year with new themes and designs created by local artists.  Twelve shades of natural corn are gown by local farmers to create the artwork.  All the murals covering the building are made from corn and other grains.  From 2003 to 2017 the murals were designed by Cherie Ramsdell.  No new mural was created in 2017 due to an extreme drought.  Beginning in 2018 the designs have been created by Dakota Wesleyan University students.  The designs are transferred to black tar paper labeled with codes for colors, rather like a paint by number system.  It takes about 1.5 million nails and 325,000 ears of corn to decorate the exterior of the building.  Currently it costs about $175,000 each time it is redecorated.

 

The venue is a multipurpose arena and facility where they have concerts, sports events, exhibits, and community events.  In past times a citywide festival was held the end of September, that was recently changed to the end of August. The building is open free to the public.  Inside there are murals on the walls like the one shown on the second postcard below.

 

 

From the interior, World’s Only Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota, ca 1950s-1960s.

 

This is another Dan Grigg Enterprise Co., product with Genuine Curteich-Chicago, C.T. Art Colortone," and has a blurb at the upper left corner on the reverse:  “One of the many panels on the inside of the world’s only Corn Palace.  These panels are made from natural-colored grains and grasses.  The entire building is redecorated annually at a cost [then] of $10,000.  The annual festival is held the last week in September, but the building is open Free the year around.  It is one of the most outstanding exhibits of nature’s wonderful colors blended into interesting designs and pictures by local decorators.”  Based on the difference in cost to do the redecorating it is estimated that this card comes from the 1950s or 1960s.

 

 

Exterior design in 2003, Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota

 

The Corn Palace is a popular tourist destination and receives approximately 500,000 visitors each year.  There are exhibits and local artist sales inside the building when it is not being used for special events.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_Palace