by Tom Hamilton
South Dakota, home to Mount Rushmore,
Black Hills gold, Badlands National Park, Wall Drug, Corn Palace, Explorer
balloon flights and the pioneer manufacturer of modern hot air balloons.
Add to that the largest balloon museum in the worldSoukup & Thomas International
Balloon & Airship Museum.
The museum is located one block North of the world famous Corn Palace in Mitchell. Originally housed in the small town of Tyndall, South Dakota, the museum moved to its present location in the spring of 1992. The City of Mitchell provided $650,000 to build the 14,000 square feet museum and paid additional $150,000 to move the museum's collection.
Just off Interstate 90, Main Street in Mitchell has become a museum lover's Mecca. Anchored by the Corn Palace, a civic center decorated on the outside for the last century with murals made from different types of corn, this town provides a great resting stop for the thousands of summer tourists heading to the Black Hills and Yellowstone.
Founded in 1988 by Jacques Soukup
and Kirk Thomas, their collection forms the nucleus of the museum's galleries
and library. The collection includes purchases from the 1988 Sotheby's,
London, first auction of ballooning and aeronautical memorabilia (Balloon
Life, Ballooning and Aeronautical Auction, May 1988). This magnificent
collection of lithographs, oils, original artwork photographs, music boxes,
jewelry, historic balloon baskets, clothing, plates, crystal, aeronautical
navigation and radio communications equipment, books, periodicals, related
memorabilia, and historically important airworthy balloon systems and sophisticated
recovery vehicles includes the largest broadside (woodcut billboard) collection
known to exist in the world, chronicling the aviation history of the great
balloonist Charles Green. The balloon and airship pin collection includes
more than 2,000 items.
The museum is operated by a staff and volunteers directed by the nonprofit corporation's Board of Directors and Advisory Committee. Becky Pope is the museum's director.
The museum's gallery areas and
Video Theater are designed to help the visitor live and experience the history
of manned flight in lighter-than-air aircraft. The moving exhibits and video
stations are continually reviewed and revised to include new film footage
and acquisitions.
A few of the highlights of this museum include: the first modern hot air balloon to fly in the former Soviet Union; Don Cameron's Zanussi gondola from his 1978 Atlantic crossing attempt; Hindenburg disaster; the modern era gallery; special shapes gallery; and the nineteenth century exhibits. The museum also has on loan a number of items from the National Air & Space Museum's aeronautical collection.
The latest addition to the museum is the housing of the International Ballooning and Airship Hall of Fame, endorsed by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale's Ballooning Commission. This exhibit honors the pioneers in ballooning and history setting aeronauts.
The Mitchell Area Chamber of Commerce, in association with the museum, organizes a hot air balloon rally the last weekend of June each summer (Balloon Life, Corn Palace Balloon Rally, September, 1997).
The museum is located at 700 North Main Street, Mitchell, South Dakota, 57301. Phone (605) 996-2311. The museum is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Memorial Day through mid-September. Off season the museum is open shorter hours and closed on Wednesday. The museum is closed the month of January.
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