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Cornstruction Nearly Complete
July 22, 2015
We stopped by Mitchell's Main Street this week to see the progress on major renovations to the Corn Palace. Though the project is running a few months late, the end — or the cornstruction as some call it — is nearly ...
Atop Rose Hill
July 7, 2015
A walk through Spearfish’s cemetery rekindles memories of the mountain town’s colorful characters. Photo by John Mitchell.
A Spa at Midland
... streaming through glass blocks glows off white fiberglass walls. The hot water pours in from a PVC pipe above the bath surface. A standing pipe “drain” is in the concrete, taking overflow to Mitchell Creek east of town.
The treatment lasts about an hour. Step one is a soothing soak for 15 minutes. The water is about 110 degrees, depending on the weather. George tells me to immerse a shoulder that ...
Up Close
June 17, 2015
The Crazy Horse Volksmarch gives hikers a unique view of the mountain carving in progress. Photos by John Mitchell.
Searching for the White Mule
... often vilified saloons were back in business.
But by 1916, better-organized dry factions - the Anti-Saloon League, churches and the Women’s Christian Temperance League headed for decades by Flora Mitchell of Brookings - succeeded in getting another vote that hoisted South Dakotans back up on the prohibition wagon. After considering a state-run liquor business in which state liquor agents would keep names ...
Damn Tornado
May 11, 2015
... Nature erupts and we find that she’s neither friend or foe — but rather a force. Most of us who live in southeast South Dakota know Delmont as a quiet little place between Mitchell and Yankton. Maybe you’ve heard of the Delmont pickle party? Or maybe you’re one of those who, while driving Highway 18 through Douglas County, turns north a mile or two to grab some of the ...
Too Many Counties?
May 5, 2015
... 68-foot boat. You can see the work in progress outside his shop at 811 College St.
Avon is the hometown of Sen. George McGovern, whose father served the Methodist church in town before moving his family to Mitchell. The museum includes memorabilia from the McGoverns.
The history, the river and the ethnic traditions all make Bon Homme County fun to explore, especially if you enjoy the kolaches and ignore the tumbleweeds.
Editor's ...
Why We Go Birding
... four years ago and that I was turned on to birding. This year’s South Dakota Birding Festival at Fort Randall will be May 1-3 at Pickstown. A new gathering, the Prairie Birding Festival, will be in Mitchell on May 8-10. More information is available online. You may want to come and check out these festivals for yourself.
Birding is a fulfilling activity and is enjoyed in varying degrees by different birders. ...
Badlands Road Trip
April 28, 2015
... Traveler recently listed Badlands National Park as one of the 10 most spectacular national park road trip destinations, citing its thousands of acres of rust-colored buttes, spires and pinnacles. John Mitchell shared these photos from his recent trip there. See more of Mitchell's work at sodakmoments.com.
Amaranth: The Once and Future Crop?
... ease of cultivation, colorful appearance and diverse uses in the kitchen.
I embarked on my personal voyage of discovery while writing a book about the Prehistoric Indian Village on the shore of Lake Mitchell, which was inhabited before there was a lake. The book, Village on the Bluff: Prehistoric Farmers/Hunters of the James River Valley, was commissioned by Dr. L. Adrien Hannus, director of the Archeology ...
Snow Blankets Spearfish
January 14, 2015
John Mitchell shared these recent photos from a blustery trip to the Spearfish area.
Rethinking South Dakota
January 7, 2015
... for me to think of anywhere on the edge of Sioux Falls as “the middle of nowhere.” I look out past the Ellis Road and think, “Everything is out there! Hartford, Humboldt, Montrose, and Mitchell! I could turn right and go to Brookings, left and go to Vermillion!” To these guys who've just gotten here for the first time, who don't know the steakhouses and sloughs and happy hunting grounds ...
Mitchell’s Eternal Flame
By John Andrews
Drive south of Mitchell after sunset and you’ll pass a cemetery aglow with multicolored icons called Peace Lights. They are there because a family who lost a daughter never wanted to forget her.
Kimberly Plamp Schoenfelder ...
Halloween Fun
October 30, 2014
John Mitchell shared these photos from a pumpkin display north of Pierre.
Farm Island Fall
September 25, 2014
John Mitchell, Pierre, shared these photos from Farm Island Recreation Area and nearby Lewis and Clark Trail.
USD’s Anarchist Professor
... was tight that October night a hundred years ago, emotions high. The University of South Dakota was on the rival’s grid, her fans outnumbered by partisans of the home team. Agitated youths from Mitchell went too far when they tore the USD colors from the hands of a cheering USD co-ed. The girl’s friends struggled to reclaim the banner, but in the skirmish that ensued, outnumbered USD students were ...
So Long, Summer
September 2, 2014
Pierre photographer John Mitchell shared these images from his Labor Day weekend visit to the Black Hills.
Watermelon Capital
... But over time, the produce itself has proven to be the best car-stopper. Melons are piled high in mounds. Splashy orange pumpkins, earth-tone gourds and enough colored corn to decorate a palace wall in Mitchell are common to most of the roadway markets.
"Appearances are very important," says Charlotte Nelson, who runs Nelson's Melon Stand along with her husband, Bud. "I decorate with banners. We use corn and ...
Generosity at the Ballpark
August 12, 2014
In Mitchell, we saw two good baseball games and learned a lesson in helping your neighbors.
Pitching To Bill Prunty
Editor’s Note: The South Dakota State Amateur Baseball tournament begins Wednesday at Cadwell Park in Mitchell. Perhaps because of baseball’s long history, no other sport seems to have such rich stories and legends. One of the most famous involves Bill Prunty and the home run he hit in the dark to give Claremont ...
