Lyons (formerly Atlanta), the county seat of Rice county, is located in the central part of the county at the crossing of three lines of railroad—the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, the Missouri Pacific and the St. Louis & San Francisco. It is situated about midway between the Arkansas river and the Little Arkansas, at an elevation of 1,696 feet. It has an electric light plant, 3 banks, 2 good hotels, 1 daily and 2 weekly newspapers, 2 flour mills, a large salt works, gas engine works, machine shops and cement building block works. It is beautifully laid out with the court-house square in the center. Around this are handsome, modern retail establishments. The city is equipped with telegraph and express offices and has an international money order postoffice with six rural routes. It is divided into four wards and according to the census of 1910 had a population of 2,071.

The original town of Atlanta was founded in 1870. It was absorbed by Lyons, which was laid out adjoining it, in 1876, and the same year was made the county seat. The first postoffice was established at this place in 1871 and was called Brookdale. It was also the first one in the county and Earl Joslin was postmaster. The town was incorporated in 1880 with T. W. Nichols as the first mayor. In the same year the Marion & McPherson branch of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe was extended to Lyons. Two years later it was a thriving town of 900 inhabitants.