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CORONADO QUIVERA MUSEUM

Three Stories, One Place

The Coronado Quivira Museum brings more than 600 years of central Kansas history together under one roof. Explore the stories of the Quivira people, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado’s 1541 expedition, and the Santa Fe Trail—all rooted in the land and communities of Rice County.

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The peoples History

Discover Quivira and the Wichita People

Long before European explorers arrived, the ancestors of today’s Wichita people lived in thriving grass-lodge villages across central Kansas. Through artifacts, pottery, tools, historic maps, and a grass lodge replica, the museum helps visitors understand the rich culture, trade networks, and agricultural life of the Quivira people.

Follow the Trail Through History

Trace Coronado’s search for the legendary Seven Cities of Gold, then see how later travelers and traders followed routes that became the Santa Fe Trail. The museum also shares the early story of Rice County, with exhibits and research collections that connect the region’s Indigenous heritage, Spanish exploration, pioneer settlement, and community history.

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