Saline has an interesting history with wonderful old historic homes still available for those of you who love the feel and beauty of pre World War II homes.

Saline was founded as a village in 1832 and it wasn’t long before it grew, both in population and size. It was an important stage-stop on the Chicago Road and the town attracted a number of artisan workshops and mills. But it was actually the railroad that made the village grow. During the Civil War, so many young men were drawn into the ranks of the military that there was a serious labor shortage. This caused local investments in agricultural equipment to more than double during the 1860s.

By the end of the war, farmers were competing in the expanding commercial marketplace. A desire for a reliable and inexpensive means to transport large amounts of staple crops to market prompted 32 citizens to affix their names to a petition calling for money to be raised to invest in Detroit, Hillsdale, and Indiana Railroad stock. Between the farmers and the merchants, who also saw the possibility of advancing their own interests, the money was raised and sufficient stock was purchased so that the locals convinced the railroad to build a line between Ypsilanti and Hillsdale. It was opened for service on July 4, 1870.
Interestingly, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled this investment violated the state constitution and the railroad was obliged to return the money. Just the same, by this time Saline had its railroad. For almost one hundred years it served us well, providing an efficient way to transport apples, wool, logs and livestock, while bringing in the goods that filled the shelves of local stores. A variety of businesses and services sprang up, increasing the strength and breadth of the village.

The 1874 Combination Atlas Map of Washtenaw County records that Saline is “a flourishing village of about 700 inhabitants on the Detroit, Hillsdale and Indiana Railroad. It contains a fine three-story Union school building; churches of the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Evangelical Lutheran persuasions; three flouring-mills, two tanneries, a foundry, two hotels, a newspaper, and several stores and shops. It is situated in the midst of a beautiful and well improved farming country. It has a daily mail.”
One example of an outstanding business that flourished is that of the Saline Standard Windmill Manufacturing Co. which was begun in 1875 by J.C. Gross and Brothers. Their windmills had a reputation for excellence. An example of a Saline Standard Windmill is housed in the livery barn at the Railroad Depot Museum. For display purposes, this 10’ diameter wooden wheel is mounted on a stub mount tower. It can be seen during regular hours when the depot museum is open on Saturdays.

By 1875, Saline was the principal agricultural shipping point in southeastern Michigan, but the volume of freight moving in and out of the depot dwindled by 1900 and Saline became overshadowed by Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. With that, the railroad began a slow decline.

The picturesque, sleepy town on the old Chicago Road was about to change.

As the turn of the century loomed on the horizon, an electric interurban trolley line operated between Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Jackson. Saline’s car, known as Old Maude made frequent trips on rails that ran parallel to Michigan Avenue, connecting with the main line at Ypsilanti. Old Maud made trips “into the city” possible and provided young people studying at the Ypsilanti Normal School with transportation between home and school. The trolley operated about 25 years and was powered by a transformer, whose tower building is long gone.

Development of both automobiles and the trucking industry reduced travel by train and trolley. Rail passenger service to Saline was discontinued in the late 1930s; freight service hung on until the early 1960s.

In spite of the beginnings of the depression, Saline continued to upgrade herself. The Old Union School was torn down in 1930 and a new Art Deco building was constructed on the same site and used the same name.

The following year, the Village of Saline became the City of Saline. That was 1931. Becoming a city gave relief to voters who otherwise would need to travel on Election Day to polling places in several different townships.

The Saline area remained a farming community throughout the 20th century. There was little money to be seen during depression years, but the heavy blows of the times did not affect Saline as greatly as it affected people in the larger cities of our nation. Farmers had always been self-sufficient; there was always food for the table. Add that to the frugalness of Germans and Englishmen and one could observe families who knew how to “make do” with what they had on hand.

The Saline Valley Farms, a farm cooperative on nearly 1000 acres, 3½ miles south of town, was begun by Harold S. Gray in 1932. Oral historian James Cameron has written, “(The venture) attracted struggling families during depression years. Over one hundred members lived with their families on site and worked cooperatively to operate a dairy, orchards, poultry house, and gardens. Success mushroomed as members developed a store at the farm to sell to the public and used delivery vans to bring fresh produce and canned goods to Detroit and the suburbs. By the mid-1950s, with the death of the cooperative’s founder and a recovering economy and job market, second generation members of SVF families were attracted to life other than farming.” It should be noted that most of the residents came to SVF from outside the Saline area, but many these families opted to remain in our area after the Valley Farms closed down. (Cameron)

During World War II, some of Saline’s young women went to work in what was termed the “Bomber Plant”. Henry Ford had constructed and was operating a huge plant at Willow Run, where airplanes were produced for the government. Breaking into what was normally thought of as a man’s world, these women worked side by side, doing whatever job was necessary. Collectively, they were known as Rosie the Riveter. Many of these women had husbands or other relatives in the military and this was their way of helping the war effort and, at the same time, earning money to keep their homes together. Though not on the same pay scale as men, these women earned good wages and life was never the same after that experience.