New book tells history of grain palaces

The Mitchell Corn Palace proudly bears the title "world’s only" today, but there were many other grain palaces built during the late 1800s and early 1900s — at least 34, according to the new book "Palaces on the Prairie."

The book’s Web site says the book chronicles 34 palaces in 24 cities and eight states. The book was written by Aberdeen, S.D., resident Rod Evans and published by the North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies.

Here’s a summary from the book’s Web site:

Palaces on the Prairie takes you on a journey through the past to experience the hope, struggle, victory, and sometimes defeat of communities, large and small, as they fought to survive difficult times during the late 1800s and early 1900s. One of the fascinating ways community leaders went about that daunting task was to construct palaces, some gigantic, others more modest, decorated with the grains or minerals that would best promote the businesses and products of their region. This book tells the story behind thirty-four of those palaces built in twenty-four towns and cities throughout North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri, and Texas. Some were short-lived while others stood for years, but all provided excitement and a sense of accomplishment for those involved.