Sunday, December 09, 2007

Corn Palace #1 (From Eric Beheim)


corn palace 1, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.



The attached scans of the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota are from a rather scarce View-Master reel from 1955. I thought that these might be of interest, since every spring the Corn Palace hosts a Shrine Circus. Corn Palaces like this one were quite popular in the Midwest during the 1880s and 1890s. Mitchell’s first Corn Palace was built in 1892. The present one was built in 1921 out of reinforced concrete, which probably explains why it is still in existence. (The Moorish domes and minarets were added in 1937.) Every spring the exterior is completely covered with thousands of bushels of South Dakota corn, grain and grasses, arranged into large murals. (Once winter sets in, these murals are consumed by the local birds and squirrels.) This is such a neat looking building -- like something that might have been at Coney Island in the early 1900s. Visually, it appears to be an ideal venue for presenting a circus.



Did the Ringling show ever play here as one of its second season “rodeo circuit” dates? Barnum used to brag that no building in America was large enough to hold The Greatest Show on Earth. Today, the Felds can brag that no building in America is too small to hold it!



Eric

Posted by Buckles at 12/09/2007 06:16:00 AM

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

The corn palace is extremely small inside. It has a theater stage, limited floor space and theater type seating. It's tight but showable.
I am sure in the not to distant future the RBBB, with capable clip boards in hand, would be able to pull it off with ease.

09 December, 2007 12:14
Anonymous said...

I've played Mitchell three times, twice with tent shows (maybe more?), once at the Corn Palace. Jimmy's right, it's small inside, I remember my cats stayed outside, but there was room for the arena on the floor in front of the stage. I enjoyed it. There is so much work involved putting the murals together each year. A real slice of Americana.

As I said a few days ago on the dinosaur picture, America's chocked full of cool stuff. The Corn Palace is among them. I always enjoy sightseeing between shows whenever possible, wherever in the world I am. Circus is a great business for someone who's a tourist at heart.

09 December, 2007 13:44
Anonymous said...

Five or six years ago my younger son Robin and I were racing across the country to catch up with Carson & Barnes in Milbank, SD. Robin was around eight then, and we were pretty much driving straight through from the west coast where school had let out, stopping just long enough for me to sleep for a few hours here and there. Once we were east of Salt Lake I tried to do the education thing, pointing at rivers and landmarks and talking about the Mormon Trail, or the Oregon Trail, or Lewis & Clark, but Rob was having nothing of it, preferring to stay in the bunk over the cab with his head poking out through the roof spotting pronghorned antelopes. Until we started to see signs for the Corn Palace. The Corn Palace was so how magical like nothing, and the closer we got to Mitchell, the more he wanted us to stop, and all of my "Trust me, I saw it 20 years ago and it isn't Disney," were for naught. It must have been 11:00 PM when we got there, and I think the building had been closed for a couple hours. He didn't care. He just walked around looking at the outside walls and reaching out to touch anything he could reach. Then he'd had enough and said, "OK, we can go." To this day I think it's the only thing he remembers about that drive. What I remember is making a note never to get him anywhere near the "World's Largest Covered Bridge" across I-80 in Nebraska. I think that one costs money.

09 December, 2007 13:48
Anonymous said...

The bridge doesn't cost much Ben; I've stopped there too!

Most of us have 'kids on the road' stories. Your recollections reminded me of one of my favorites. Children live in a world of immediate reference, drawing parallels with what they know.

On the way to the lot one day in a western state, we were driving through many miles of swampy cattails. My son Nick, who was about four at the time, turned to me and said matter of factly:

"Hmm. I didn't know corn dogs grew wild in Montana."

I nearly went off the road laughing!

09 December, 2007 16:18
Anonymous said...

I was 8 years old the first time I worked in the Corn Palace and it's been numerous times since then. I actually explored the inside hallways the last time I was there and they have a lot of photos about it's history. One year all the pictorials were done in scenes from the Wizard of Oz. Pretty neat.

09 December, 2007 16:42
Roger Smith said...

My arena went right where Pat's did when I showed there two years with Castle. The cat cages were partially trained up through a door. But it worked and was a memorable place to show, tight as it was. Roger Smmith

09 December, 2007 17:32
Anonymous said...

Interesting discussion. There's a book out called "The Aerialist" (don't recall the author) set on RBBB. In one passage, the show plays the Corn Palace and the story's protagonist describes taking his grandparents to the performance. Description seems so accurate that I assumed the RBBB rodeo unit actually played it at one time.

09 December, 2007 23:10
Anonymous said...

Pat and Ben: You would enjoy the book "Lost in America" by Bill Bryson. The author takes a tour of U.S. and describes the numerous, bizarre attractions (such as giant dinosaurs, jackalopes and corn palaces) that adorn the highways and byways. It's a real hoot!

09 December, 2007 23:15
Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tip, Paul. I'll pick up a copy next trip to the good ol' USA!

You do know, of course, that Jackalopes are native to Wyoming... Who besides me has seen the big Paul Bunyun and Babe the Blue Ox in Bemidji, Minnesota?

10 December, 2007 07:09
Casey McCoy Cainan said...

Ms. White,
I believe the Ox is still there, however the Paul Bunyon was sold and moved after the theme park was closed, a few years ago.I can't remember where it went, but I drove past it this summer.

10 December, 2007 07:51
Buckles said...

When we were in Baraboo we often dined at the Paul Bunyon "pitch-til-you-win" in the Dells.
An establishment from which Bobby Gibbs was eventually banned due to his "carry out" policy.

10 December, 2007 08:11
Anonymous said...

Pat,
Surly you must realize that I spent a goodly portion of my adolesense there. Fond memories. I rested under the shade of Babe's flank, suffering from my first highschool hangover there, and took my prom date there in 71. Because, it was 80 miles from where we lived, she was impressed by my "continental wonderlust", and it made scoreing a breeze. I used to pity nation's who only had candy ass thing's like the pyramid's, Taj Mahal, etc. to visit. In addition to Paul and Babe, in a day you could drive and see the world's largest buffalo, the world's largest Northern Pike, AND the ruin's North Dakota's firt meat packing plant. Wade Burck

10 December, 2007 08:32
Casey McCoy Cainan said...

Well I will correct myself now, I had the Bunyon statue in Bemidji, confused with the one in Brainerd. Bemidji still has theirs, the one in Brainerd has been moved. Brainerd had a theme park dedicated to things Paul Bunyon. Also conveniently located next door to a Mills Fleet Farm, around the corner from a good hospital. Unfortunately I spent more time in the latter two.

10 December, 2007 08:59
Anonymous said...

Burned out a clutch near Fort Stockton, TX about twenty years. Limped in to a parts store there and was told it would take a few days to get the new plate as it had to be ordered and come in on the train that ran down to Presidio. Second night I was there sleeping in cab of my truck a local policeman tapped on my window and after sorting things out he noted, "I haven't seen that many tattoos on somebody who hasn't been to jail before." By today's standards of course I have almost no ink, but twenty years ago was twenty years ago. Anyway in the course of our conversation I asked said officer what there was to do Fort Stockton, as I had another day to kill before I could work on the clutch. "Have you been downtown, he asked me. "We've got the world's largest concrete roadrunner." The next day I walked downtown, and indeed they did.

10 December, 2007 10:12
Anonymous said...

I think we played only once when I was with Gil Gray and that was an overnight jump in and out and we parked everything outside, put up the show, did two shows and immediately jumped out. I think I was half awake during the time, so I can't offer much. Gil didn't like showing there, maybe he couldn't get all the concessions. I do recall on jumps we would go right by it at times and there was even a stop light at the corner and we could have a quick look-see. One time they couldn't do the outside for some reason and it looked pretty shabby for a time. Budget or something. Growing up as a Minnesota boy you can be sure we knew all about Paul Bunyan, even in school. He was a Minn. icon and one of our proudest possessions along with "ten thousand lakes" and of course the "Mayo Clinic". I am proud to be grom that great state.

10 December, 2007 10:15
Anonymous said...

Karl King played the corn palace with his concert band and composed a march named "The New Corn Palace".

There is a statue of Paul Bunyan at the entrance of the fairgrounds in Bangor, Maine.

10 December, 2007 13:37
Anonymous said...

Heres a chance for everyone to contribute a picture. I have no wonderful show pictures but have a few of the "roadside wonders". The latest was a 50' milk bottle in Mass. cc

10 December, 2007 17:30
Anonymous said...

As a man of 19, i have been born and raised in this great state, and very rarely do you come across a restaurant in Minnesota with out something on the menu called the 'Paul Bunyun' That can be everything from a burger and fries or a chocolate dessert, however most of the time it is a steak dinner. A sight Ms. White would enjoying seeing would be the Iron Ore Ships entering and departing the Duluth, MN harbor through the massive lifting span bridge, similiar to Chicago but 375ft wide, and 150ft high. Very visible from the Arena in town where circuses commonly visit.

10 December, 2007 17:47
Anonymous said...

One thing I enjoy most about this blog is how one photo or comment can stir up memories for so many people. Here's to the Corn Palace, giant concrete animals, and all those other fun things that make America what it is.

One thing I've noticed in my travels is that for the most part, people often don't get Americans. I think a bus tour across America with all the major world leaders is in order, to better understand who we are.

Hugo Chaves might have a great time at Dollywood, and Ahmedinijad needs to experience the National Rodeo finals in Las Vegas, and Kim Jong Il needs to see the California Redwoods, they can all watch the hot air balloon festival at sunrise in Albuquerque. Then they can stop at a Flying J for dinner before heading to Wal-Mart. CNN can only report on it when the tour is over. Stuck in a bus for hours on end, they might find some common ground, and understand America is about more than our inarticulate President

America's a great place. I'm grateful to have seen most of it, compliments of this business.

I think I'm homesick.

10 December, 2007 17:49
Anonymous said...

Dan h: You're right, I did enjoy the sights at Duluth Harbor, I saw the ships and bridge from the building in 2003. Or 2002. Doesn't matter. Anyway, I recall a boardwalk near the building by the water with a terrific barbeque place with a funny name I can't remember. It was there I was also introduced to the delights of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory!

Barbeque. Chocolate factory. Geez. And for me, dinner tonight is sushi, tacoyaki, and soba noodles. Bummer. Enjoy your steak and potatoes tonight, people.

11 December, 2007 01:47
Anonymous said...

Ms. White, i am sure you are referring to Famous Daves. Their motto is 'Make sure the fingers you are lickin at the end of the meal are your own!!!'

11 December, 2007 17:19
Casey McCoy Cainan said...

No Sushi available in Paris, TX. Ms. White I would gladly trade a slab of brisket from our backyard smoker, for a pound of eel, and a Dragon roll.

11 December, 2007 18:59
24-HOUR-MAN said...

johnny: do you remember the truck stop at "Stanley's Corners", when we were on Gil Gray we stopped there so many times they knew us all by our first names.

11 December, 2007 23:01
Anonymous said...

I sure do remember "Clines Corners". We would overwhehlm their two gas pumps in the middle of the night and orders for Cheeseburgers kept them hopping. We wll got off the lot in a hurry to get there first, Up andown, back and forth on the highwat for a couple of weeks with that nightly stop, year after year. Never forget Lemmon and Winner. We played everything but the Corn palace.

Another was "Clines Corners" in New Mexico when Gil had most of the "SHRINE CLUB" dates in that state. Clovis to hobbs to Roswell, etc.

12 December, 2007 10:16
Anonymous said...

Lyle Lovett gives a nods to the "Clines Corners Truck Stop" in his song Nothin' But A Good Ride. Not many of of those old Rt 66 towns in NM endured after I-40 was built the way Clines Corners did.

12 December, 2007 11:04

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