2018.046.010 [Quilt]

This quilt commemorates the 1890 Corn Palace of Sioux City, the fourth of five Corn Palaces to be built there. Every square inch of these palaces, exterior and interior, was covered in grain: mostly corn, but other grains and grasses as well. The exterior became famous for displaying Corn Palace murals, large images made from corn depicting a variety of Midwestern scenes or previous Corn Palaces. Each year a new Corn Palace was built and then torn down after an elaborate festival. The 1890 Corn Palace ran incandescent electric lights, many years before Sioux City homes had electricity. The electricity for these lights was generated by the electric street car and cable railway powerhouses that were present in the city. The quilt was made by the Ladies Aid Society of the Haddock Memorial Church, and in the squares surrounding the Corn Palace were all the people, businesses, and organizations that offered funding and assistance in some way for the Corn Palace. Corn Palaces eventually became too costly for the city to build and maintain. Issues like the Floyd River Flood of 1892 and the national economic recession meant that the 1891 Corn Palace was the last ever built in Sioux City. Content can be used with the following standards: 2nd grade SS 2.24 Natural Resources, 4th grade SS 4.26 Changes to Agriculture and SS-Geo. 9-12.24 Iowans Influence Iowa Environment in a lesson on agricultural events/celebrations of Iowa. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions.