User:Q945E965/Coronado Quivira Museum

The Coronado Quivira Museum, located in Lyons, Kansas, specializes in the archaeological and historical findings of the interactions between the Spaniard conquistadors and the indigenous Quivira tribe. It consists of educational programs and exhibits over four main subjects, including the Quiviran Indians, the conquistadors of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, the Santa Fe Trail, and the formation of Rice County. In addition to historical information, the exhibits also include artifacts provided by the archaeological digs from doctors Clark Mallam, Donald Blakeslee, and Waldo Wedel.

Quiviran cultural exhibit
The museum possesses the largest curated collection of Quivira artifacts in the state of Kansas. It describes in detail the daily life of the agricultural indigenous people which lived in the region spanning the land from Kansas, Missouri, to Oklahoma. They traded with nearby tribes in the West, primarily with corn and other crops. Additionally, there is also a grass lodge replica which depicts the shelter they lived in. Most of these people were inhabitants of what is now called Rice County, and is agreed by scholars to be a province of the greater Wichita tribe.

Coronado exhibit
This exhibit highlights the arrival of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his party of conquistadors and their month long stay with the Quivira tribe. These Spaniards had the goal of discovering the lost Seven Cities of Gold, also known as Cibola, and along their excursion they met with many Native Americans while trekking from what is now Mexico. His 1541 visit to Rice County reveals the scope of Spain's influence in North America which was previously believed to emerge later, making this archaeological site important. The marked route by Coronado was also later used by American traders from Missouri who sought selling to markets in Mexico.

Findings from Dr. Waldo Wedel
As a main contributor to the museum's historical content and curated artifacts, Dr. Wedel's work titled "Coronado, Quivira, and Kansas: An Archaeologist's View" makes up a sizable portion of the facility's educational material. In this article he describes his study of the Kansas region's indigenous populations and their interaction with the Spaniard's arrival. Most of the items uncovered were parts of chainmail clothing and weaponry which were used by Coronado and his men. These artifacts were later donated into the museum for safe keeping.

Rice County and Santa Fe Trail exhibits
The museum within this exhibit focuses on Rice County's timeline of key contributions and historical events starting from its development under westward expansion well into the 20th century all the way to modern day. Many topics in this area include the Santa Fe Trail, as well as the county's long history of salt mining, starting as early as 1887, some mines which still operate today. It's also the home town of Dillon's, famously known for being part of the company Kroger.

Podcast
The museum just recently produced an educational podcast called the "Coronado Quivira Museum Podcast" with the purpose to educate its listeners on American archaeology and history.