Mitchell (pop. 15,000), in the valley of the James River, is the chief place in a predominantly agricultural area. A sight of international renown is its Moorish-style Corn Palace, which is decorated every year with corncobs, mosaics made with different colors of corn (maize) and other fruits of the earth and grasses - a tradition that has been maintained since 1892. In mid September there is a large Corn Festival. A permanent exhibition is devoted to South Dakotan agriculture. Opposite in the Enchanted World Doll Museum, about 4000 dolls can be seen. The Balloon and Airship Museum has hot air and captive balloons. To the north of the town is the site of a 10th C Indian village that was excavated some years ago.
Mitchell was was named for Milwaukee banker and railroad magnate Alexander Mitchell.
The Corn Palace in Mitchell was called "The Corn Belt Exposition" and was established in 1892. Early settlers displayed their harvests on the outside of the building to prove the fertility of South Dakota soil. The building is re-decorated annually with thousands of bushels of corn, grain, grasses, wild oats, brome grass, blue grass, rye, straw and wheat.
Address: Corn Palace, 601 North Main Street, Mitchell, SD 57301, United States
Phone: 1 (605) 995-8430, Fax: 1 (605) 996-8273
The Enchanted World Doll Museum is housed in an English-style castle in Mitchell, complete with moat, turrets and drawbridge. More than 4,000 dolls set in 400 different scenes are on display.
The Prehistoric Indian Village in Mitchell is on the site of an 11th C fortified pre-Mandan Indian village. The complex was home to as many as 800 semi-nomadic hunters and farmers. The Thomson Center Archeodome has been built over two earth lodges and allows archeologists unlimited access to the excavation site.
Hours:
April 1 to April 30: 9am-4pm; Closed: Sun, Sat
May 1 to May 24: 9am-4pm; Sun:10am-6pm; Closed: Sun, Sat
May 25 to September 3: 8am-6pm; Closed: Sun, Sat
September 4 to September 30: 9am-4pm; Sun:10am-6pm; Closed: Sun, Sat
October 1 to October 31: 9am-4pm; Closed: Sun, Sat, Sun, Sat
Featured displays at the Oscar Howe Art Center include American Indian beadwork and porcupine quill work; Hamlin Garland's Middle Border history exhibits from 1600 to 1939; and four art galleries featuring original works by Oscar Howe, Harvey Dunn, Charles Hargens, James Earle Fraser, and Gutzon Borglum.
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