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Officials estimated that 125,000 people attended the National Corn Husking Contest in Dell Rapids in 1938. Sioux Falls Argus Leader via newspapers.com, Nov. 3, 1938.

Husking Contest in which farmers from about 10 Midwestern states competed in the years 1924-1941. Promoted at times as “the fastest growing sporting spectacle in the world,” the battles helped buoy the spirits of farmers and small communities in the midst of the Great Depression. Values like individualism, determination, work ethic, and selfsufficiency were highlighted. Starting from 800 attendees in 1924, attendance skyrocketed to more than 100,000 each year from 1935-1941. The corn husking contests existed as part of a larger contest culture which encouraged farmers to improve their farming methods and increase production, according to “The Organized Corn Husking Contests” by Denise Lorraine Dial. A variety of agricultural contests played an integral role in the rural Midwest's absorption of industrial culture by giving farmers the opportunity to experiment with emerging innovations. While the huge crowds at the National Corn Husking Contest gathered to watch a test of masculinity via traditional hand-husking, the event grounds included large displays of machinery to entice farmers with the latest modern equipment from companies such as International Harvester, Allis Chalmers and Firestone Tire. The corn husking contests united the contest culture of production agriculture with a culture of fairs, town celebrations, and harvest festivals.

THOUSANDS CAME TO DELL RAPIDS

The National Corn Husking Contest moved to a different location every year from Ohio in the eastern corn belt to Kansas in the western corn belt. In its first decade, the closest sites to this region were Fremont, Neb., in 1926; West Point, Neb., in 1933; and Fairmont, Minn., in 1934. Finally, it arrived to the intersection of South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota when Dell Rapids, S.D., was the host in 1938.

ALWAYS HERE. ALWAYS CARING.

Thousands of people arrived at the Jim and The winner of the 1938 National Corn Husking Contest was Ted Balko Nellie Jensen farm northeast of Dell Rap- of Redwood Falls, Minn. Sioux Falls ids on Nov. 3, 1938, a damp, windy and cold day. According to the book “From Dell RapArgus Leader via newspapers.com, Nov. 4, 1938. ids’ Attic,” officials parked 35,000 cars and estimated the crowd at 125,000 – the largest gathering of people ever recorded in South Dakota. It took five pastures covering 1,300 acres and 800

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The Lillie corn husker consisted of a metal hook riveted to a formed piece of leather that straps around the hand and wrist. History Nebraska. Corn husking pegs were a precursor to tools like the corn hook.

volunteer traffic directors to handle the parking. There were 48 concession stands housed under a tent stretching four city blocks. Tents were needed for the numerous exhibitions, the temporary fire department, post office, food stands, and the emergency hospital and its corps of physicians. Ten to 12 wells were sunk to provide the necessary water supply. The huge exhibit of farm machinery was the biggest ever seen at a corn husking contest. The NBC radio network carried a live "bang by bang" description of the national contest. (The contest was sometimes called the “Battle of the Bangboards” because ears tossed by contestants would crash into a raised board on the far side of the wagon.)

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A GRIND FROM START TO FINISH

Contestants used a steel peg or hook strapped to their hand to tear the shucks open on the corn. Many huskers wore gloves but some shucked barehanded. The method mostly used in husking was to grip an ear with the left hand, yank off the husk with the right hand, twist the ear from the stalk with the right hand and throw the ear into the wagon with the right hand. Because the ground was muck from the rain, the contest at Dell Rapids was a grind from start to finish. During the 80-minute contest, there were no time-outs for rest and no stops for water. The huskers were tough – some would finish the competition with knuckles bleeding and fingers raw. Many contestants had callouses as big and hard as a quarter. Ted Balko of Redwood Falls, Minn., won the contest at Dell Rapids by husking a gross of 1,620 pounds of corn and a net of 22.64 bushels. Balko previously won the championship in 1934.