Salina
After careful planning, four men led by Col. William
A. Phillips founded Salina on the Smoky Hill River in 1857. The
town motto was to be "Religion First, Education Second and
Business Third."
Swedish settlers coming to the Smoky Hill River
Valley in 1868 and 1869 passed through Salina. Many stayed. In
1870 they organized The Swedish Lutheran Church of Salina. Col.
Phillips gave the congregation land to build their church building.
There were 103 members and communicant members in the first congregation.
Salina grew as a wheat milling and railroad center
and became the county seat of Saline county. It survived the growth
and the losing of the Smoky Hill Air Force Base during and after
World War II.
Sources
Information from Ken Carman
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