Salina

History

Shortly prior to European colonization of the area in the early 1700s, the site that would become Salina was located within the western territory of the Kansa people. Claimed first by France as part of Louisiana and later acquired by the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it was within the area organized by the U.S. as Kansas Territory in 1854. The French traders who mapped the forks of les Grande Riviere des Cansez, located the western village of les Cansez at the general confluence of the Smoky Hill, Saline, and Solomon Rivers with villages of the Paducas tribe just to the west on heads of those streams. By the time of exploration of the prairie by the United States following the Louisiana Purchase in the early 1800s, the Republican Pawnee had established its influence in the Smoky Hills, driving the Kansa to its northeastern Kansas settlements. The United States established forts throughout the territory to provide security for established commercial trade trails, including the Smoky Hill Trail and the Santa Fe Trail. The Smoky Hill Trail passed through the Salina site where the Fort Riley/Fort Larned Road split off to cross the Smoky Hill River to the southwest. By the time of the first tentative settlements by United States citizens, the site was claimed as hunting grounds by the High Plains tribes of Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Sioux, which had expanded into the area, driving out the Pawnee. However, the Kansa continued to hunt in the area, in which they were joined by the Delaware and Potawatomi tribes which had been relocated by the U.S. Government near the Kansa's reserve and assured of hunting access to the plains. The High Plains tribes were hostilely opposed to both the U.S. settlers in central Kansas and to the relocated tribes in Eastern…

Geography

Salina is located at (38.8402805, -97.6114237) at an elevation of . Salina lies in the Smoky Hills region of the Great Plains approximately west-southwest of the confluence of the Saline and Smoky Hill Rivers. The Smoky Hill River runs north then northeast through the eastern part of the city; the Saline River flows southeast immediately north of the city. In the northeast part of the city, the old channel of the Smoky Hill branches from the river's current course and winds west, north, and back east before draining back into the river. Mulberry Creek, a tributary of the Saline, flows northeast through the far northern part of the city. Dry Creek, a tributary of Mulberry Creek, flows north through the western part of the city. Salina lies in the transition area between North America's humid subtropical (Köppen: Cfa) and humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa) zones. Consequently, summers are typically hot and humid, and winters are typically cold and dry. On average, January is the coldest (and driest) month, July is the hottest month, and May has the greatest precipitation. Salina is in a region prone to severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes. On June 21, 1969, an F3 tornado struck the southern part of the city, severely damaging or destroying more than 100 homes and businesses and injuring 60 people. On September 25, 1973, a second F3 tornado passed through the southeast part of town, injuring six people and destroying two houses and a trailer park. On June 11, 2008, another EF3 tornado passed on the south side of the town, severely damaging several buildings. Snowfall averages per year. Snowfall is most prevalent in January, with . |source 2 = National Weather Service Weatherbase: Humidity }}

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Salina High South
  High · Salina · 1,102 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Salina High Central
  High · Salina · 944 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Salina South Middle
  Middle · Salina · 811 students · 14:1 ratio
• Lakewood Middle School
  Middle · Salina · 688 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• Stewart Elem
  Elementary · Salina · 417 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Heusner Elem
  Elementary · Salina · 414 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Meadowlark Ridge Elem
  Elementary · Salina · 409 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Schilling Elem
  Elementary · Salina · 408 students · 11.7:1 ratio