Rice County History
First Settlers –
Quiviran Indians
400 year old kingdom
Friendly
Lived in
Grasslodges
More 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