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History · Smolan

Smolan’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Smolan. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
2recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Smolan was named after the Swedish province of Småland, the native home of a large share of the early settlers.

A post office was opened in Smolan in 1887, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1997.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Smolan’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from SmolanWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Smolan.Meet them →
By decade

Smolan, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today2 photos
Detailed map ofMapDetailed map of2010KSMap-doton-SmolanCommonsKSMap-doton-Smolan2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Smolan is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Smolan has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Pioneer Hall, Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, 6.6 miles away.

Smolan and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Smolan. Tap a dot.
Pioneer Hall, Kansas Wesleyan UniversityLowell SchoolJohn H. Prescott HouseMasonic TempleRoosevelt-Lincoln Junior High SchoolFlanders-Lee House and Carriage House

Closest to Smolan

Pioneer Hall, Kansas Wesleyan UniversitySalina · Building6.6miLowell SchoolSalina · Building6.6miJohn H. Prescott HouseSalina · Building7.5miMasonic TempleSalina · Built 19277.8miRoosevelt-Lincoln Junior High SchoolSalina · Building7.9mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Pioneer Hall, Kansas Wesleyan University’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Smolan?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Smolan’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Smolan📜 Washington📜 Smoky View📜 Assaria

From Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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