Mitchell, South Dakota

MITCHELL, SOUTH DAKOTA The city of solutions W hen Mitchell, South Dakota encounters a problem, they find a solution. This can-do spirit extends as far back as the building of the city’s most famous landmark – the world’s only Corn Palace. “One of the reasons the palace was built was in reaction to the Lewis and Clark journals,” says Neil Putnam, Director of Planning and Zoning for the City of Mitchell. “When Lewis and Clark came up through the Missouri River and then the Dakotas, they talked about the barren land up here and whether it was productive. Well, the founding fathers here said, ‘We need something to symbolize that this is very productive land,’ and that’s a short story of how the Corn Palace came to be.” Not only did the Corn Palace draw attention to the area’s fertile lands, but it quickly became the symbol of the city and a nation-wide attraction that brings more than 500,000 tourists to Mitchell annually. Each year the structure is clad in naturally-coloured corn, depicting images and scenes to reflect that year’s theme. The whimsically designed building is known as the “folk art wonder” of South Dakota and Courtsey of Mitchell Technical College