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===Growth: 1872β1950s=== The cattle trade arrived in 1872, transforming Salina into a cowtown. It brought further prosperity, but also a rowdy culture that agitated local residents. The cattle trade relocated westward just two years later.<ref name=Cutler>{{Citation|last=Cutler|first=William G.|contribution=Salina, Part 1|title=History of the State of Kansas|place=Chicago|publisher=A.T. Andreas|year=1883|contribution-url=http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/saline/saline-co-p4.html#SALINA_P1}}</ref> During the 1870s, [[wheat]] became the dominant crop in the area, [[steam power|steam-powered]] [[flour mill]]s were built, and agriculture became the engine of the local economy. In 1874, Salina resident E. R. Switzer introduced [[alfalfa]] to area farmers, and its cultivation spread throughout the state. By 1880, the city had become an area industrial center with several mills, a carriage and wagon factory, and a [[agricultural machinery|farm implement]] works.<ref name=WPA>{{Cite book|author=WPA|title=Kansas: A Guide to the Sunflower State|page=273|place=[[New York City]]|publisher=Hastings House|year=1949|author-link=Works Projects Administration}}</ref> In 1889, the original garment factory of jeans maker [[Lee (jeans)|Lee]] was opened.<ref name=LeeHistory>{{cite web|title=Lee Jeans History|publisher=lee.com|url=http://www.lee.com/wps/wcm/connect/lee-en_us/our_company/history/|access-date=October 19, 2010|archive-date=July 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713194609/http://www.lee.com/wps/wcm/connect/lee-en_us/our_company/history/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the following decade, three railroads were built through the city.<ref name=WPA/> The success of the [[wholesale]] and [[mill (grinding)|milling]] industries drove Salina's growth into the early 1900s, such that it was at one point the third-largest producer in the state and the sixth-largest in the United States.<ref name=City>{{cite web|title=Salina History|publisher=City of Salina, Kansas|url=http://www.ci.salina.ks.us/content/120/144/default.aspx| url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305214358/http://www.ci.salina.ks.us/content/120/144/default.aspx | archive-date=March 5, 2014 | access-date=March 5, 2014}}</ref> In 1943, the U.S. Army established [[Smoky Hill Army Airfield]] southwest of the city. The installation served as a base for [[strategic bomber]] units throughout [[World War II]]. Renamed Smoky Hill Air Force Base in 1948, it was closed the following year and was reopened in 1951 as [[Schilling Air Force Base]], part of the [[Strategic Air Command]].<ref name=SAC>{{cite web|title=SAC Bases: Smokey Hill / Schilling AFB|publisher=Strategic-Air-Command.com|url=http://www.strategic-air-command.com/bases/Schilling_AFB.htm|access-date=July 17, 2010}}</ref> The re-opening triggered an economic boom in Salina, causing the city's population to increase by nearly two-thirds during the 1950s.<ref name=City/> The [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Department of Defense]] closed the base permanently in 1965, but the city of Salina acquired it and converted it into [[Salina Regional Airport|Salina Municipal Airport]] and an [[industrial park]].<ref name=SAC/> This led to substantial industrial development, attracted firms such as [[Beechcraft]], and made manufacturing a primary driver of the local economy.<ref name=Chamber>{{cite web|title=Narrative|publisher=Salina Area Chamber of Commerce|year=2008|url=http://www.salinakansas.org/ecodevo/narrative.asp|access-date=July 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727232847/http://www.salinakansas.org/ecodevo/narrative.asp|archive-date=July 27, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Salina, Kansas micropolitan area|Salina micropolitan area]] is a center of trade, transportation, and industry in [[North Central Kansas]].<ref name=City/>
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