Lyons is a city in Rice County, Kansas, United States. The population was 3,732 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Rice County.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and his men camped near the present location of Lyons on their quest for the Seven Cities of Gold. Four miles west of Lyons on U. S. Highway 56 is a cross commemorating Juan de Padilla, a member of Coronado's expedition. It 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.
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.
Lyons' Main Street (U.S. Highway 56) sits on the former location of the Santa Fe Trail.
Since the mid 1980s, Lyons has been a popular spot for skydiving.
Lyons is located at [show location on an interactive map] 38°20'42?N, 98°12'9?W