Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Mitchell
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Corn Palace
Read Next
Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting
Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?
Washington, D.C. locator map.
What State Is Washington, D.C. In?
The United States Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.
14 Questions About Government in the United States Answered
Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.
U.S. Death Toll During Major Events
The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.
26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History
Discover
Title: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, December 14, 1825: repression of the troop mutiny - watercolor by Carl Ivanovitch Kollman, 1825 depicts Decembrist uprising clashing with cavalry, with spectators watching. (new style December 26, 1825) Europe. Saint
8 of the Largest Empires in History
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.
Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)
Super Typhoon Noru over the western tropical Pacific Ocean as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA Aqua satellite July 31 2017
What Is the Difference Between a Typhoon and a Super Typhoon?
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000
14 Tough Questions Answered
Corn Palace
Corn Palace The Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota.

Mitchell

South Dakota, United States
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/place/Mitchell-South-Dakota
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Firesteel
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History

Mitchell, city, seat (1874) of Davison county, southeastern South Dakota, U.S. It lies in the James River valley near Firesteel Creek (there dammed to form Lake Mitchell), about 70 miles (110 km) west of Sioux Falls. Arikara and, later, Sioux Indians were early inhabitants of the area. Settlers arrived at the confluence of the James River and Firesteel Creek in 1872 in anticipation of the coming of the railroad. The railroad was eventually located about a mile west of the town site, which was then called Firesteel because it lay on the floodplain; in 1879 a new town site was platted, and Firesteel was moved. It was renamed for Alexander Mitchell, president of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad. The railroad link was completed in 1880. Mitchell’s economy today is based on tourism (particularly during the pheasant-hunting season, from October to December), manufacturing (including trailers, packaging, truck parts, toner, metal products, and industrial fans), food processing, and agriculture (corn [maize], soybeans, livestock, and dairying). The Corn Palace (built 1921, replacing an original built in 1892 and a second built in 1905) is a unique Moorish structure decorated annually with corn, grain, and grasses and distinguished by minarets and domes. The Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village preserves the archaeological site of a 1,000-year-old Native American village and includes artifacts and a reproduction earth lodge. The Dakota Discovery Museum contains an art gallery, restored buildings, and artifacts. Also of interest is the Enchanted World Doll Museum, which features several thousand dolls. Annual summer events include the Corn Palace Stampede rodeo, the Corn Palace Festival, and Dakotafest (a farm show). Mitchell is the seat of Dakota Wesleyan University (1885). Lake Mitchell, just north of the city, provides recreational opportunities. Inc. 1881. Pop. (2000) 14,558; (2010) 15,254.