Salina: 1858-2008

Early in 1858, three men walked across the eastern half of Kansas Territory intent on starting a town. Although the volatile conflict between Free State and proslavery forces still simmered, the bloodshed had abated, and Free State factions had gained the upper hand. People turned their interests to more peaceful pursuits, including town building. Armed with a compass and stovepipe hat instead of a tripod, the three young Scotsmen selected and surveyed a town site along the Smoky Hill River, near the confluence of the Saline River in north-central Kansas. The tiny settlement soon became a way-stop for westbound travelers and a hub of activity for hunters, soldiers, land seekers, and surveyors. Now 150 years later, Salina (pronounced with a long i) still thrives as a center for commercial, cultural, civic, and social activity. Voted an All-America City in 1989, Salina is home to nearly 50,000 people who enjoy midwestern living in the heart of America.

In conjunction with the city's sesquicentennial celebration, a history book committee at the Salina Public Library has selected images from the archives of the library's Campbell Room of Kansas Research. Members of the committee, under the direction of Kansas librarian Judy Lilly, are Lori Berezovsky, outreach coordinator for the library, Dorothy Boyle, former registrar at the Smoky Hill Museum, and Cloie Brevik, researcher for the Smoky Valley Genealogical Society.