History
Of
Lyons
Both Lyons and Rice County abound in history. Four miles
west of Lyons on U. S. Highway 56 is a large concrete
cross which was erected by the Knights of Columbus of
Kansas to commemorate the martyrdom of Father Juan de
Padilla, the first Christian martyr on the North American
continent. Father Padilla was slain by a group of hostile
Indians in 1542, before any person who came over on the
Mayflower was born. About a mile south of this cross is
the old Buffalo Bill well, hand-dug, which is reputed to
have been dug and cased by the famous Indian fighter and
buffalo hunter, William Mathewson, commonly called Buffalo
Bill. This well was restored by the Rice County Historical
Society as a tourist attraction. The Coronado Quivira Museum,
located at 105 W. Lyon, completed a ¼ million dollar
expansion in 1984. The structure contains many Quiviran
Indian artifacts and items from pioneer days.
Rice County is on the route of the old Santa Fe Trail, which was surveyed in 1825. In 1867 the county was created by the legislature and was organized on August 18, 1871. The county was named in honor of Brigadier General Samuel A. Rice of the U. S. Volunteers, a Civil War hero who was killed at the battle of Jenkins Ferry. The first settlers entered the county in February, 1870. Buffalo were plentiful in the county as late as 1871 and were a stable food for early settlers.
The city of Atlanta was established on the Santa Fe Trail in 1871 and the Atlanta Town Company erected a hotel which they deeded to the county to be used as a courthouse. Atlanta was located just 1½ miles south of the present location of Lyons. In 1876 an election determined that the county seat should be located in the exact center of the county and the city of Lyons was established there, being named for the owner of the property upon which the new town was built. Immediately after the election the buildings of Atlanta were, for the most part, moved to the site of the new city. In June, 1880, the branch of the Santa Fe connecting Emporia and Ellinwood reached Lyons. Early manufacturing included a carriage maker and a flour mill.
Milestones
- 1880 - branches of several railroads came through Lyons
- 1881 - the first school was built
- 1882 - J. W. Workman presented a tract of land to be used for the city park
- 1889 - Alvin Long installed the telephone service with 100 hand-cranked telephones.
- 1909 - Sidewalks were made of sand and cement instead of boards and mud
- 1911 - Carnegie Library was dedicated
- 1916 - Red brick streets were laid; some are still in use
- 1918 - City Hall was built at a cost of $30,000
