Mitchell Corn Palace, South Dakota 1965

This colourful scene captures the world-famous Mitchell Corn Palace in 1965, dressed in its annual themed mural made entirely from corn, native grasses, and other natural materials. Built originally in 1892 as a way to showcase South Dakota’s rich agricultural potential and attract settlers, the Corn Palace quickly became one of the Midwest’s most iconic roadside landmarks.

Each year the building receives a new façade design, with artists planning elaborate murals and volunteers attaching thousands of bushels of corn—arranged in multiple colours—to create detailed pictures, patterns, and borders. The onion-shaped domes and whimsical towers (added during later remodels in the 1930s and 1940s) give the building a fairytale appearance, making it as memorable architecturally as it is culturally.

By the mid-20th century, when this photograph was taken, the Corn Palace was already a well-known tourist attraction. It hosted concerts, basketball games, and community events, while the annual Corn Palace Festival drew crowds from across the region.

Today, more than 130 years after its founding, the Corn Palace remains fully operational and continues its yearly tradition of redecorating the building—still proudly calling itself “The World’s Only Corn Palace.”