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| 1927 |
After taking our last pictures of Mt. Rushmore, we were ready to get on the road again. We went by Keystone, and if we could, we would have liked to spend the rest of the day there having fun at the Big, Thunder Gold Mine, Mt. Rushmore tramway and Alpine Slide, and The President's Wax Museum, but we had a day's travel to do and so we headed to Rapid City. There we had to skip the Black Hill Caverns, Dinosaur Park and Geology Museum; something to keep in mind for another trip.
We headed east on Highway 90 with miles and miles of corn fields in front of us. Our next destination point was Kennebec, a dot on the map but a Koa close to the road. We put the Garmin Girl to the task of finding it, and she lead us to a small hamlet off the highway made up of a restaurant, gas station, and a few silos and then the campground. We set up camp and because we were famished went to the restaurant for an evening meal. We ordered our meal and had a chat with the young, pretty waitress. We told her where we had been, and she explained that she had spent many a summer working at the hotel in Deadwood. In fact, some of her friends were the actors that played the gunslinger cowboys in the street scenes. Her career goal was to be a costume designer for theater. She was hoping to leave to go to Dakota Wesleyan University in the fall and was working this summer to pay her tuition. We wished her good luck, gave her a good tip, and drove back to our campsite.
The next morning we broke camp and headed east looking for a city called Mitchell that our friend Emil said we must see. He said there is a Corn Palace there that will "blow your mind". Well, I could do with a little popcorn right now as I nibbled on peanut butter crackers. Around ten in the morning we drove into Mitchell and found a Wall-mart where we resupplied our cooler and, got some fruit for breakfast. We asked a few people about the Corn Palace. Some people were enthusiastic, and they gave us good directions, some said that it was for the birds!
We headed to Main Street to find what Emil said "would blow our minds." Once we got on Main Street it was not hard to miss the Moorish Bulbs that set the building aside from other rectangular buildings in its midst. We parked on the street and walked to the Corn Palace our eyes widening at every step. The exterior was made of corn and it was in the process of getting a facelift. A group of young people were taking down parts and putting up other sections. It looked like an on- going activity.
We walked inside and saw bright lighted panels of other designs of the Corn Palace in the past. Apparently, the exterior gets a facelift every few years with local artist contributing their designs. We waited for our tour by looking at items at the gift shop which were pretty corny since everything related to corn. Soon there were lots of people milling around getting ready for the tour. We were all lead to the auditorium by our young guide. Down on the main floor which looked like a basketball court, there were many vendors putting out their wares for people to buy.
Our young guide explained that the first Corn Palace was built in 1892 and was originally called the Corn Belt Exposition. It was designed as a multi- use facility hosting stage shows and sporting events. It stands in tribute to the rich soil and agriculture heritage of South Dakota. The cost annually is $130,000. The exterior is entirely stripped down and new murals designed by local artists are put up every year. He pointed out the mural that surrounded the top of the arena, and the theme which was settlers working together with Native Americans. He also explained that the arena was used for basketball games by the Dakota Wesleyan University and local high school basketball games.
It was certainly an eye catcher for the city of Mitchell. We went outside and took more pictures before making our departure.
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| 2011 |
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