Quivira

Legendary land or city supposedly in the area occupied by the present-day southwestern USA, sought by Spanish explorer Francisco de Coronado in an expedition of 1540-42 . In the event, the region alleged to be the site of the wealthy city of Quivira turned out to contain nothing but a collection of Wichita villages along the Arkansas River near Great Bend, Kansas.

Relying on sketchy travellers' accounts, Coronado's expedition journeyed east from New Mexico through the Texas Panhandle, north through Oklahoma, and into Kansas. However, even after he failed to find the city, the legend persisted and various alternative sites were suggested for its location. These include the vicinity of Glazier, near the Canadian River, 80 km/50 mi northeast of Amarillo, Texas; the area around Junction City, Kansas; and the Republican River valley in Nebraska. Nowadays, the name lives on in Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, on the Rattlesnake River southeast of Great Bend.