Salina (pronounced /səˈlaɪnə/) is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States.[3] First settled in 1856 along the Saline and Smoky Hill Rivers 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. The population was 45,679 at the 2000 census, and it was estimated to be 46,140 in the year 2006.[4]

History

In 1860 Salina, the westernmost post on the Smoky Hill Trail, began to establish itself as a staging post for prospectors traveling to Pikes Peak, as well as a trading post between local native tribes, and Fort Leavenworth. After the Civil War, Phillips, then a colonel, used his influence to extend the Union Pacific Railroad to Salina in 1867. Starting in 1872, Salina began vtransporting meat shipped in refrigerated cars down the rails. During the 1870s, wheat 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, Smoky Hill Army Airfield, located southwest of Salina, was one of several notable B-29 training bases. The exponential growth of the 1950s of Salina was related largely to the re-opening of the base, later renamed Schilling Air Force Base, subsequently closed in 1965 by the Department of Defense. As Schilling AFB, it was home to the Strategic Air Command's 40th and 310th Bomb Wings of the 802nd Air Division between 1952 and 1960, flying B-47 Stratojets and KC-97 Stratotankers; to the 310th Strategic Aerospace Wing between 1960 and 1962; and between 1962 and 1965, to the 22nd Strategic Aerospace Division, controlling the 310th SAW and the Atlas ICBM missile silos of the 550th Strategic Missile Squadron.

On February 28, 2005, the city was home to the "Last Great Aviation Record" when Steve Fossett took off from the Salina Airport in the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, to attempt the first solo, non-stop, non-refueled aerial circumnavigation of the globe by airplane. Fossett completed the record-breaking flight on March 3, 2005 when he landed back in Salina after 67 hours, 1 minute and 10 seconds, at an average speed of 342.2mph (550.7km/h). Support for the venture was provided by the Kansas State Aviation Research (KStAR) Lab.

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