Daughters of the American Revolution
Lyons, Kansas

Stone Corral Chapter was organized in Lyons, Kansas, on October 12, 1991, with Judith Robl serving as Organizing Regent. The name of the chapter preserves an important part of Rice County heritage. It was at a point where the Santa Fe Trail crossed the Little Arkansas River that a large ranch was built in the late 1850s by a man named William Wheeler. Its primary purpose was serving as a trading ranch and stage station for travelers on the Trail. He erected a stone corral to secure stock and also a stone-piered toll bridge across the Little Arkansas River.

The stone corral presented a prominent landmark to the settlers who began arriving in Rice county in 1871. J. W. Bean described the corral: The corral totaled 300 to 400 feet in length, and about 200 feet in width. The north wall, still standing then, was about "eight feet high and perhaps 30 inches thick . . . with many stones extending through the wall, binding it together." He also recalled that the "walls were laid perfectly with the slabs fitted so close together that little or no light showed through," and that a "small room or enclosure had been fitted into one end."

Stone for the corral was quarried 2 miles away. The corral was used from the early 1860s until after the Santa Fe Trail was abandoned, and then the stone from the corral was used for construction of a one-room country schoolhouse, which remained in use until 1946. Today, no trace remains of the corral.

The chapter has done much research on the Stone Corral and Stone Corral School, and has worked with the local historical society to get the location on the National Historical Register.

Eight of the granite DAR markers which mark the Santa Fe Trail are in Rice County. A chapter project has been to repaint all of the lettering on the markers and to try and keep the area around them neat. Visitors to our area are encouraged to "Follow the Santa Fe Trail through Rice County."

At the annual Lyons arts and crafts "Fair on the Square," the chapter has a booth where we visit with people about DAR and distribute DAR literature. We also have a drawing for a craft item.

The chapter has hosted public genealogy workshops for the purpose of helping interested prospective members prove their lineage.

Chapter meetings are held at 9:00 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month, September through May. Prospective members are welcome to attend meetings. Please contact us for more information, using the link below.

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