History of Salina Museum | Family, Kid-Friendly Exhibits & Tours

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Each time you visit the Smoky Hill Museum, a new story inspires you. See what we do.

FEATURED STORIES

On January 29, 2022, Kansas celebrates another year of statehood. The Smoky Hill Museum plans to offer a FREE public celebration with fun for the whole family. You can enjoy learning how to make butter or shell corn. Plus, there will be make and take crafts, delicious refreshments and more! Entrance to the Museum will by reservation only during this time.

Please sign up for your reservation now. Admission is free, but for health and safety reasons, we are spreading out the admission for this very popular event. The Museum Store will remain open to all visitors and no ticket will be required to visit just the Store.
History is sometimes inspiring and sometimes heartbreaking. The 1893 lynching of Dana Adams is a difficult part of Salina’s history, but one that needs to be understood. Join Sandy Beverly and Rev. Dr. Martha Murchison as they share about the lynching of Dana Adams and its aftermath. They’ll also discuss the Dana Adams Project 1893, its goals of release and healing, and what’s next for the project. Beverly and Rev. Dr. Murchison, along with Rev. Delores J. Williamston are coalition members who work in collaboration with the Equal Justice Initiative.

The Smoky Hill Museum will host this free Zoom presentation, Thursday, February 3, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Register here.
In 1858, the story of Salina began with a group of six individuals who envisioned a community on the central plains of Kansas. This community was not only located at a natural crossroads, but also defined a new one centered at Iron and Santa Fe Avenues. This crossroads marks where Salina began. Born from a few wooden structures, downtown was once the sole destination for food, merchandise, transportation and services. More...
Volunteer

We need awesome volunteers to help third graders learn about history with our Kansas Day program. You'd be surprised at what a huge difference a little bit of your time can make.
Read more.
Online Resources

While the Museum was closed, staff worked hard to provide online resources for you. Check out the following:

• Check out past exhibits in the special Online Exhibits section.

• Access Exhibit handouts featuring such topics as the Indian Burial Pit and the Battle of Indian Rock.

• Like crosswords or word searches? Check out the Fun & Games page.

• Educators can enhance their lessons with free video presentations. Check out the topics available in the Educational Lending Library.

Welcome to the Smoky Hill Museum

The Smoky Hill Museum explores history in unexpected ways with interactive fun around every corner. It’s a big-city museum in a small package intentionally designed to make kids eager to stay longer and adults want to come back for more.

Special thanks to our sponsors:

For The Crossroads and For Breaking the Sod Platform
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For the From Sod to Stone area
For the Dugout
For the Industry On the Move case.
For the Mercantile
For Street Fair
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KAKE

For Street Fair
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OUR SPONSORS