Rice County History

First Settlers – Quiviran Indians400 year old kingdomFriendlyLived in GrasslodgesMore inhabitants than in Rice County today.

Rice County History

What evidence do we have of these Native Americans?

Skin scrapers found in the ground

Arrowheads

Rice County History

Very good buffalo hunters

Called the tatoo people

Didn’t know about weaving

Made good pottery

Rice County History

1541

Coronado came from Mexico

Looking for gold

Heard Stories about Cibola

Brought Father Juan Padilla

Rice County History

He kept a diary and wrote about he Quivira Indians.

Know he came to Rice County from diary

Wrote about crossing the St. Peter And Paul River at the great bend of the river.

Rice County History

Most important evidence was chain mail found in Rice County

Rice County History

What happened to these Explorers?

Coronado returned to Mexico after living with the Quivira Indians.

Rice County History

Father Padilla stayed with the Indians

Legend of Father Padilla’s death

The first Christian martyr in North America.

Rice County History

Story of discovery – 1917

1982 – Dr. Clark Mallam

Serpent Intaglio – dug in

What is it?

Three Indian Mounds

Tobias, Hayes, Thompson

Rice County History

Believed to be a calendar

Also marks the area of at least 10 springs

Rice County History

Santa Fe Trail – began as a buffalo trail

Used by the Indians

Used by Coronado

Finally used by Traders going to Santa Fe, Mexico

Rice County History

Rice County has two river crossings

Little Arkansas Crossing

Cow Creek Crossing

Western Rice County had deadly Indian attacks

Rice County History

Robert McGee

Cow Creek battle

Plum Buttes

Rice County History

Favorite camping spot – Stone Corral

Why did traders make camp after the river crossing?

Rice County History

Buried Treasure in Rice County

Coins from the raid at Cow Creek

Chavez Treasure and Murder

Rice County History

Battle of the Two Buffalo Bills

Rice County History

How does a state become a state?

Kansas became a state on January 29, 1861

The first county here was formed on Nov. 6, 1860

Called Peketon County

The County Seat was Beach Valley

Rice County History

1871 – Next try to become a county

Need more people

Signed up people in a wagon train coming from the East

Signed up soldiers coming from the North

Gave names to the mules that pulled the wagons

Rice County History

Became a county on August 18, 1871

Rice County History

Named for General Samuel A. Rice

Civil War General

Friend of Kansas Governor

Died in the Civil War of a wound to the foot.

Rice County History

How did Lyons become the County Seat?

Atlanta

Peace

1876 – Sterling

Land sold to Reno County

Land donated by Truman Lyon

Rice County History