Sioux City History
Your link to the past.
Sioux City Corn Palaces
From 1887 to 1891, Sioux Cityans celebrated the autumn harvest with a festival featuring the construction of a large building in downtown called a Corn Palace covered in corn and other grains. The final Sioux City Corn Palace of 1891 is shown here.
1887 Sioux City Corn Palace
On October 3, 1887, the first Corn Palace Festival officially opened. There was good weather and lots of excitement. Every day there were parades, speeches, dances, fireworks and concerts. Each day brought a new parade. Nearly 140,000 people attended the festivities, more than anyone had expected.
1888 Sioux City Corn Palace
Sioux City’s second corn palace, built the next year in 1888, was even more splendid than the first. It was built at a new site on the northeast corner of Sixth and Pierce. There was a huge main tower and several smaller towers, and every square inch of the exterior was covered with grain. The only wood showing was on the flagpoles.
1889 Sioux City Corn Palace
The publicity generated by the Corn Palace Train and the successes of the first two palaces led to the grandest festival thus far. Built on the same site as the last palace, (now known as the Corn Palace Lot), the 1889 palace featured a main tower 200 feet high that towered over surrounding buildings.
1890 Sioux City Corn Palace
The biggest palace yet, the 1890 Corn Palace featured a 200-foot main tower and six 100-foot towers. A huge dome, built as part of the largest tower, formed a giant globe with various countries mapped with grains of corn. Of course, Iowa faced front and center with Sioux City most prominently displayed.
1891 Sioux City Corn Palace
The 1891 Palace was so large that it spread across Pierce Street and featured a large archway that allowed traffic to pass through. The palace featured a balcony atop the main 200-foot tower. There, visitors could take in a magnificent view of the city and the surrounding three states.