The settlement of Saltillo was formerly located along the
Salt Creek where the corners of Grant, Centerville, Yankee Hill, and Saltillo townships meet. Originally a community was planned at the site to be named Olathe. A post office was established at Saltillo in 1862, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1906. The community was likely named after the city of
Saltillo, Mexico. The name is derived from the Spanish word
salto, meaning leap, the diminutive suffix renders the meaning of the name "little leap." The Atchison and Nebraska Railroad was later sold to
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy in 1908.
Plat maps produced in 1903 show the village with three streets and the path of Salt Creek flowing through roughly half of the lots. Frequent flooding, a lack of travelers and thus income, as well as the continuous growth of nearby Lincoln all sent the population of Saltillo into decline. By the 1950s, the last visible remnant of Saltillo was the grain elevator which was torn down in 1953. ==See also==