South Dakota
Became a state: November 2, 1889 (40th state)
Area: 77,163 sq mi (ranked 17th in size)
Population: 754,844 (ranked 46th in population)
Capital: Pierre
Largest City: Sioux Falls (population 123,975)
Bordering States: Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming
Origin of state name: "Dakota" is the Sioux Indian word for friend.
State Nickname: Mount Rushmore State
State Bird: Chinese Ring-Necked Pheasant
State Flower: American Pasqueflower (May Day Flower)
State Tree: Black Hills Spruce
State Gemstone: Fairburn Agate
Trivia: The original Mitchell Corn Palace (known as "The Corn Belt Exposition") was built in 1892 to showcase the rich soil of South Dakota and encourage people to settle in the area. It was a wooden castle structure on Mitchell's Main Street. In 1904–1905, the city of Mitchell mounted a challenge to the city of Pierre in an unsuccessful attempt to replace it as the state capital of South Dakota. As part of this effort, the Corn Palace was rebuilt in 1905. In 1921 the Corn Palace was rebuilt once again, with a design by the architectural firm Rapp and Rapp of Chicago. Moorish domes and minarets were added in 1937, giving the Palace the distinctive appearance that it has today. It costs $130,000 annually to decorate the Palace.
The exterior corn murals are replaced and redesigned each year with a new theme. The designs are created by local artists. From 1948 to 1971 the artist Oscar Howe designed the panels. Calvin Schultz designed the murals from 1977 to 2002. Since 2003, the murals have been designed by Cherie Ramsdell. No new mural was created in 2006 due to an extreme drought.
Besides being a tourist attraction, the Corn Palace also serves the local community as a venue for concerts, sports events, exhibits and other community events. Each year, the Corn Palace is celebrated with a citywide festival, the Corn Palace Festival. Historically it was held at harvest time in September, but recently it has been held at the end of August. Other popular annual events include the Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo (in July) and the Corn Palace Polka Festival (in September). It is also home to the Dakota Wesleyan University Tigers and the Mitchell High School Kernels basketball teams.
Abbreviation: SD
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