Salina High School - Trail Yearbook (Salina, KS)

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tionally known, was among the group, James Butler Hickok, who became known as 'Wild Bill . He spent some time in Salina but be- came famous as the marshal of Abilene. As in most of the frontier settlements, fire was a constant threat and the growing metropolis was no exception. Both in 1871 and 1875 great devastating fires nearly wiped out the community. But some effects were realized from the sad experiences. Stone and brick structures began to be built by those who were determined to stay. As the city grew, citizens didn't lose sight of the need for education. A grade school was soon built and classes began to thrive. At this time there was little need for a high school. It wasn't until 1878 that education pro- gressed to the point that a graduation exer- cise was necessary for the first high school class which consisted of one boy and one girl, Maggie Rash and Arthur Day. With the graduation of the first class, the town began to dictate a need for a se- parate high school. The high school soon outgrew the third floor of 'Old Central' and was moved to the third floor of the Red Men's building at the corner of Santa Fe and Walnut. The school remained in these cramped quarters for a period of three years. ln 1900 the school acquired its own building, a new two story brick structure on the site of the present Roosevelt Junior High. This building seemed spacious to the admiring students. The second floor con- sisted of an assembly room, a recitation room, a cloak room and a hall. The shop and manual training rooms were relegated to the basement. Disadvantages soon developed however, in the new building. Faults in the plan and size for the school became apparent all too soon. People who visited the school com- plained of the size and construction. The plaster over the assembly room threatened all who entered. lt was a frequent happening to have a slab of plaster interrupt the quiet of the room. A new steel ceiling cured the situation. The obvious inadequacies of this building soon resulted in plans for a new school to be called Washington High. ln 1908 work was begun on this fine structure, it was completed by 1909 and on May 20, 1910, the first graduating class, numbering 36, was graduated from the building that was destined to be the high school in Salina for the next 42 years. B

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ment in those days, there were dangerous situations which developed quite frequently. For instance, when Campbell and Muir were digging a well beside the house they had constructed, they were startled by a roar and a cloud of dust which appeared to be coming toward them. Fearing a tornado the two men took shelter in the house. They were even more amazed to find they were in the path of tremendous buffalo stampede. Fortunately for the two men, the herd parted as they came by the house and split into two groups, to leave the cabin with its two scared and shaking occupants unscathed. The settlement prospered as lndians, soldiers and hunters came to trade for necessities. Following the establishment of a trading post, it was quite natural that a hotel would be built to provide a place for the hunters and trappers to stay for a day or so between iaunts. So in the year of i359 the first hotel was built. ln this same year Saline County was officially organized by the Territorial Legis- lature. About this time Salina's first in- dustrial development began with the found- ing of a sawmill and a grist mill by Colonel Phillips. A little later postal service was established to the new settlement. During the civil war Salina was invaded by Confederate raiders. The town's only hardware was looted of arms, supplies and a number of horses were taken from settlers. The citizens formed a posse and attempted to capture the trouble makers but were un- able to overtake them. Phillips, Muir and Campbell all ioined in the hostilities. With lndians still a menace to be reckoned with, the citizens were considerably dis- turbed when a stage driver reported a band of lndians was approaching. The lndians proved to be a band of buffalo on the prowl. The nature of the early settlers was demonstrated when a school was demanded by the few parents who had brought children to the new settlement. The first school was established in one of the rooms of the old City Hotel by Ella Thacker in the fall of 'l86l. The first attempt to have a school found few students, but the idea grew ul- though the first school was of the subscrip- tion variety. The town continued to grow slowly until the spring of 1867 when the Kansas Pacific Railroad came this far. A gala celebration provided excitement for the time being and one of the famous characters of early days in Kansas, to become na- 7

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When Washington was finished it was the pride of Central Kansas. lt contained a large gymnasium with a locker room and showers in the basement. Other rooms on the lower floor were available for shop and manual training. The first floor provided space for the offices, household arts, class rooms, rest rooms and auditorium. The library was placed on this floor along with a large room for study hall. The library was later abandoned for a classroom. Because of a weakened condition in construction and the lack of adequate fire protection, the top floor at Washington was condemned in 1922. 'Dear Ole Washington' with its creaky floors, dinky library, in- adequate lighting, and ever falling plaster was destined to bow out of the picture as a high school in 1952 after a record of which to be proud. Washington was not totally abandoned. Offices were set up for the director of secondary education, the music and health supervisors, and with the assistance of the Sunflower Lions Club a department was established for an education center for youngsters unable to attend regular classes in other regular schools. ln 1878 the first flour mill was erected in the city. This was to become the leading industry in this agriculture center of Kansas. ln time Salina became the sixth largest milling center in the United States. From a population of 919 in 1870 to 3,111 in 1880, the city began to attract more industry and more people. Three railroads saw fit to include Salina in their bid for business from the great plains region. ln 1886 the Missouri Pacific had built a line to the city and in the following year, both the Chicago Rock Island and Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe had reached in the steadilv growing business center. By the time all four railroads had es- tablished lines to Salina, the population had grown to more than 6,000. Even a depres- sion failed to seriously retard the trek to the new city and by the end of the century there were more than 9,000 claiming Salina as their home. Salina grew steadily, sometimes rather slowly, but always people came to make this city their home. By the next decade the population had risen to nearly 10,000. By 1920 the town had grown to a lusty 14,000. ln 1921 the Salina citizens voted to adopt the commission-manager form of 9