Thursday, August 6th, we began our search for Church History sites. It started out a foggy, hazy day. The speed limit on the Interstate was 80mph. We would visit one more tourist attraction on our way to Omaha, Nebraska, the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. These are pictures of the drive from Oacoma, South Dakota to Mitchell, South Dakota. We crossed the Missiouri River.
Once in Mitchell, South Dakota, we found our way to the Corn Palace. We found a parking lot and pulled into a spot and got this first view of the Corn Palace. Please note the little blue strip in front. That is the top of an interesting church. Did not go in but I did take the close-ups of the front of this unique building.
In front of the Corn Palace are shops. Claude walked down to the ear of corn and, if you look closely, you will see Claude standing by the ear of corn. I joined him and we took another prize winning selfie!!
One of the shops had this display of how they make the corn pictures and designs.
It was free to go inside. Loved the corn cobs as the support posts in the lobby area. There was also a display about the corn used to make the corn palace each year. It is all grown locally in a variety of colors. Every year they create new pictures and take the former year down and replace them with the new pictures and designs. There is usually a theme chosen each year which helps to choose the pictures to be made.
Inside the Corn Palace is a big auditorium with a big stage. It can handle everything from plays and programs to basket ball games. In fact, the Corn Palace is listed as one of the best places for high school basketball. From the lobby we walked down one side of the interior and the walls are covered with the history of the Corn Palace. I will share the parts of it that caught my attention. Where available I took a picture of the explanation of the picture. Some of the pictures will not have an explanation.
From the hall we went into the actual arena and watched a video about the Corn Palace. They had the floor set like a store for souvenirs. These are pictures of the corn pictures on the interior of the arena followed by a picture of the arena from the stands.
Time to hit the highway again. We drove from Mitchell, South Dakota to Omaha, Nebraska. Please note the third and fourth pictures. They are another example of the whimsy of the farmers. The fifth picture has two bales of hay outside the field. I noticed that all along the road in the area that is not part of the field, the hay had been cut and baled. I'm not sure if the farmer has an arrangement with the people that own this land or if it is actually the farmers land outside of the fence and to the highway. It seemed like that land would not be owned by the farmer or it would have been in the fenceline. Still, they get a lot of bales of hay mowing the sides of the road to their fenceline. In the last picture we crossed over into Iowa.
Now we were in Omaha, Nebraska. Well, we would be after crossing the Missouri River. We would do that on the blue bridge which is called the Mormon Bridge because it closely followed the Mormon Trail that the pioneers took.
Then we wound our way to the Mormon Trail Center. Due to Covid-19 the center was closed. Across the street is the Mormon Cemetery where many of those pioneers who did not survive were buried.
There are only a few grave markers in the cemetery but the entire place as a peaceful feeling. We walked all through this cemetery.
Next to the cemetery is the Winter Quarters Temple. This to was closed due to Covid-19. All pictures are taken from outside the fence around the temple grounds.
Off to Council Bluffs, Iowa next. It is right across the Missouri River from Omaha. The first stop would be the Kanesville Tabernacle. Kanesville was named after Thomas L. Kane, a non-member friend of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Brigham Young and the other members of the 12 Apostles met on December 3 and 4 and tried to hold a conference in a building that was way to small. The Saints went to work and build the Kanesville Tabernacle and the conference reconvened there on December 24th. During this conference a new First Presidency would be sustained. Joseph Smith was assassinated June 27, 1844. Since his death the Church was being directed by the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. At the conference, Brigham Young was sustained as the President of the Church with Heber C. Kimball as 1st Counselor and Willard Richards as 2nd Counselor. This Kanesville Tabernacle is a recreation of the original.
Next we drove to Hyde Park. Orson Hyde was one of the 12 Apostles. His home was about 5 miles east of Council Bluffs. When the conference of December 3rd and 4th was delayed until the Kanesville Tabernacle could be built, the 12 Apostles moved their meeting to Orson Hyde's home.
Now we went in search of the Lewis and Clark Memorial. One of our thoughts for our big vacation this year was to do a driving tour and follow the Lewis and Clark Trail. That didn't happen due to the corona virus. So getting to stop here was a treat. Lewis and Clark camped at this spot from July 30th to August 3rd. On August 2nd the met with a group of Oto and Missouri Indians.
We drove to the Iowa School for the Deaf. It was on their ground that the Grand Encampment of the pioneers lived. All the entrances to the school were closed because of the corona virus. Claude noticed a walking path around the outside and we saw what were clearly markers on the path. We drove around and found a place to park the car. Then we walked the path and found the two markers for which we were looking. The first of these was called the Grand Encampment. As the pioneers arrived, this is where they would have camped out. This is the marker for that with a picture or two of the area as it looks currently.
We walked the path to the next marker. This one was for the Mustering Grounds. In July 1846, after answering the request from Pres. James K. Polk, the Saints gathered 500 volunteers to aide the United States in the War with Mexico. From here they would march 2000 miles in 6 months to the Pacific Coast. Think of that. They had been run out of Nauvoo, crossed Iowa in the winter and now they were volunteering to support their country.
This was the final Church History site for this day. Time to get a few more miles down the road and find a place to stay for the night. This was the first time I noticed fields that were actually terraced. I told Claude I felt like we were in Machu Picchu.
We found a hotel room in Avoka, Iowa.
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