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BHistory
History · Salina

Salina dates to 1864, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #25 of 119 in Utah. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Salina Presbyterian Church, the Salina Municipal Building and Library and the Peterson-Burr House. Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1880.

1864founded
3on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Salina began

When was Salina founded?

1864

Salina dates its founding to 1864 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 438 in 18802020 census: 2,441162 years

How historic is Salina?

B

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1871.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Salina’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Salina is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #25 of 119 in Utah. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Salina’s overall grade.
Founding era1864, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194019.0% of homes (±7.0) · typical UT town 2.8% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register3 listings, 11.8 per 10,000 residents · typical UT town 3.0 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 62%
NewerOlder
Utah towns of 2,500+ (119)Ahead of 80%

Utah towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Utah town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Salina’s 11.8 sits above most of its state (68% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.0 points). Two sources give 1864.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Salina’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Salina are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Salina’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Salina’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Salina came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Salina.

Read it all →

The first permanent settlers (about 30 families) moved into the area in 1864 at the direction of leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They found abundant salt deposits nearby so they named the area "Salina".

In 1866, troubles with Native Americans who used the area as their hunting ground (the Black Hawk War (Utah)) forced the white settlers to retreat to the Manti area. They returned to Salina in 1871, organized a militia, and constructed a fort and buildings for a school and a church. At that time they discovered coal deposits in "almost inexhaustible quantities" in the canyon east of the settlement.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Salina, 1864 to 1966

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1864
    FoundingSalina is established
  3. 1871Post officeThe Salina post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900BuiltPeterson-Burr House is built
  6. 1943Born hereDennis J. Nordfelt is born here
  7. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Salina, decade by decade

Today17 recent
An old cabin in a field outside the small city of Salina (population c. 2,600) in the western U.S. state of Utah2022An old cabin in a field outside the small city of Sal…Mom's Cafe in the small city of Salina (population c. 2,600) in the western U.S. state of Utah2022Mom's Cafe in the small city of Salina (population c.…Camp Salina (German POW Massacre)c. 2018Camp Salina (German POW Massacre)US-89 North, US-50 West2013US-89 North, US-50 WestMonument describing Black Hawk War beginnings2013Monument describing Black Hawk War beginningsMonument describing Black Hawk War beginnings with landscape2013Monument describing Black Hawk War beginnings with la…Mileage sign on I-70-US-89 heading SW out of2013Mileage sign on I-70-US-89 heading SW out ofI-70 Salina Business Spur2013I-70 Salina Business SpurError Salina BS-70 Shield No. 22013Error Salina BS-70 Shield No. 2Error Salina BS-70 Shield No. 12013Error Salina BS-70 Shield No. 1BS-70, US-89 at Salina Advance2013BS-70, US-89 at Salina AdvanceUntitled photo2013Untitled photoUS-89-50 Split, UT-24 Junction2012US-89-50 Split, UT-24 JunctionSB US-89-EB US-50 Shields in2012SB US-89-EB US-50 Shields inNB US-89-WB US-50 Shields in2012NB US-89-WB US-50 Shields inI-70-US-89 Overlap, WB-SB2011I-70-US-89 Overlap, WB-SBUntitled photo2007Untitled photo
On the map

Salina on the map, 1966 to 2001

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Salina. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Salina on the 1966 USGS mapSalina on the 2001 USGS map1966Salina sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Salina.

On the National Register

3 historic places in Salina

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Salina Presbyterian Church
Salina Presbyterian ChurchSalina Municipal Building and LibraryPeterson-Burr House, built 1900
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Gothic Revival1
Prairie School1
Art Deco Influence1
Queen Anne1
Salina Presbyterian ChurchGothic Revival
Salina Municipal Building and LibraryPrairie School
Peterson-Burr HouseQueen Anne · Built 1900

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Salina, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,50018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,489

Between 438 and 2,489 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Salina’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Salina

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Dell Loy HansenAmerican businessman
Dennis J. NordfeltMayor in Utah · b. 1943

Questions about Salina’s history

What year was Salina founded?

In 1864, according to Wikidata. Salina’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1880 counted 438 people here.

How does Salina rank for history?

Salina is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #25 of 119 in Utah. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Salina?

Three places: the Salina Presbyterian Church (listed 1980), the Salina Municipal Building and Library (1986) and the Peterson-Burr House (1994).

How old are the homes in Salina?

19% of Salina’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.0 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 1972.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (15), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.