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Salina is a city and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas 6. First settled by Preston B. Plum in 1856 along the Saline and Smoky Hill River , and founded by William A. Phillips in 1858, Salina is situated at the intersection of Interstate Highways I-70 and I-135 in central Kansas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 45,679.1 History
In 1860 Salina, the westernmost post on the Smoky Hill Trail , began to establish itself as a staging post for prospectors traveling to Pike's Peak, as well as a trading post between local native tribes, and Fort LeavenworthIn 1827, Colonel Henry Leavenworth established a post on the bluffs overlooking the western bank of the Missouri River to protect the fur trade, safeguard commerce on the Santa Fe Trail and maintain the peace among the inhabitants. For the first fifty yea. After the Civil WarThe American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the northern states, popularly referred to as "the U. the Union," " the North," or "the Yankees"; and the seceding southern states, commonly referred to as "the Confederat, Phillips, then a colonelColonel ( Ger: Oberst is a military rank, usually the highest below general grades, and just above Lieutenant Colonel. The word is pronounced similarly to "kernel". In the US military, a colonel in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps is equivalent to a c, used his influence to extend the Union Pacific RailroadThe Union Pacific Railroad is the largest railroad in the United States. Its AAR reporting mark is UP . The railroad is wholly owned by Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) which also owns Overnite Transportation, a fairly major less-than-truckload shippi to Salina in 1867Events January 8 African-American men granted the right to vote in the District of Columbia January 11 Benito Juarez becomes Mexican president again January 30 Emperor Komei of Japan dies. Crown Prince Mutsuhito is expected to become the next Emperor of J. Starting in 1872Events January 2 Brigham Young, is arrested for bigamy (25 wives). February 20 In New York City the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens. March 1 Yellowstone National Park is established as the world's first national park March 5 George Westinghouse patents t, Salina began transporting meat shipped in refrigerated cars down the rails. During the agriculture boom During the 1870's, wheataestivum ''T. aethiopicum ''T. araraticum ''T. boeoticum ''T. carthlicum ''T. compactum ''T. dicoccon ''T. durum ''T. ispahanicum ''T. karamyschevii ''T. militinae T. monococcum ''T. polonicum T. spelta ''T. timopheevii ''T. trunciale ''T. turanicum ''T. became the dominant crop in Salina and a steam-powered flour mill was built. At the same time Dr. E. R. Switzer , of Salina, introduced alfalfa to Kansas farmers. During World War II Salina's air field was one of several notable B-29 training grounds . The exponential growth of the 1950s of Salina was related largely to the re-opening of Smoky Hill Air Force Base , later renamed to Schilling Air Force Base , which was closed in 1965 by the Department of Defense.
2 Industry
Predictably, agriculture is the predominant industry in Salina, and its grain elevators are visible from miles away. This agrarian emphasis is even reflected in a local Catholic Church which is built in white cylindrical shapes intriguingly like grain silos. However, Salina has several other important employers.
Surprisingly, the city has a strong manufacturing base. Having over over 2000 workers, Tony's Pizza is the largest single employer. Tony's makes makes consumer retail frozen pizzas as well as food intended for school cafeterias and other institutions. Additionally, over 500 are employed in factories for Philips Lighting, Exide Battery , Great Plains Manufacturing (farm equipment), and Raytheon Aircraft. The high ratio of factory experience in the labor pool and Kansas' right-to-work status make Salina an attractive location for factory operation.
The city has a local daily newspaper, The Salina Journal , though no local television news.
