THE LAND OF QUIVIRA
THE LAND OF QUIVIRA The Wichitas once populated southern Kansas. They lived in villages of cone-shaped grass lodges, growing crops for food and trade. In the fall and winter they headed west to hunt buffalo. By the 16th century, they were actively trading with tribes in the Southwest. This gave them experience with people in other cultures. By 1720 the Wichita had migrated South.
When Francisco Vasquez de Coronado rode into a Wichita village in 1541, the Wichita numbered around 200,000. Coronado was searching for Quivira, but he had begun to doubt the stories of this mythical city of gold. He had been told of a land where the king slept each night beneath a tree of golden bells that made soft music in the wind, and the people ate from plates of silver and gold. The allure of finding Quivira was so strong that when he encountered the Wichita, he assumed he had found it. Coronado spent 25 days in Kansas before returning to Mexico.
Note: This sign was replaced in 2012.
US-56, Rice County
Roadside turnout, 3 miles west of Lyons
Plaque via Kansas Historical Society, and is used with their permission. Full page