Research Opportunities

The Coronado Quivira Museum hosts a research library with an extensive collection of publications, photographs, obituaries, scrapbooks, cemetery listings, and school records relevant to Rice County history as well as marriage licenses for ceremonies performed in Rice County

The library is open during museum hours. Museum admission is required of non-county residents and non-RCHS members to use the research library. Staff at the museum can perform research when requested for $15 an hour. Fees waived for RCHS members. To view newspaper microfilm, visit the Lyons Public Library. A variety of historical documents can be from the Rice County Register of Deeds office.

Did you know?

• Rice County’s first farmers planted wheat, rye, corn, barley, oats, and broomcorn.
• Rice County was named in for Samuel Allen Rice, Brigadier-General, U.S. Army volunteer from Iowa, who was killed April 30, 1864 at Jenkin's Ferry, Arkansas, when a bullet lodged in his foot induced blood poisoning.  
• The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad had a shipping point at Raymond for grain that also shipped cattle east for slaughter.
• Many settlers left Rice County after the 1874 grasshopper invasion that lasted one day ate everything in sight.  
• Quakers founded Peace in 1872. Peace was renamed Sterling in 1875.
• Various companies began mining salt in 1887. Two still operate near Lyons.
• In 1902, Rice County was reported to have abundant streams, well water at the depth of 25,’ and stream bottom width averaging two miles, according to the 1902 Plat Book of Rice County, Kansas.
• Dillon Stores, now owned by Kroger, started in Rice County. 
• Rice County farming in 1968 was based mainly on wheat—the main cash crop, grain, sorghum, alfalfa, beef cattle, and some dairy cows.