[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 169 (Monday, November 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S6513]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF SALINE, MICHIGAN

 Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 150th 
anniversary of the city of Saline, MI, which was incorporated as a 
village in 1866. I appreciate the opportunity to celebrate the history 
of this wonderful community, which has been consistently ranked as one 
of the best places to live in the United States.
  Before Europeans first settled the area, Native Americans frequently 
canoed from Lake Erie or traveled over six different trails to hunt in 
the area and harvest salt, which they used domestically and for trade. 
In fact, it was the discovery of this important mineral that inspired 
French voyageurs to name the local river Saline after the French word 
for ``salt''. Following the War of 1812, the U.S. Government recognized 
the need for a military road connecting Detroit and Chicago and hired 
Mr. Orange Risdon to survey the new route, which would eventually be 
known as U.S. 12 or Michigan Avenue. Risdon, enchanted by the land 
around Saline, decided to settle in the area.
  Risdon purchased 164 acres from the U.S. Government on April 5, 1825, 
built a house, and began promoting the area to English and German 
settlers from New England and New York, as well as a small number of 
African-American families. The families that joined Risdon agreed to 
name their new community Saline, which was platted as an unincorporated 
village in 1832 and became an incorporated village in 1866 after 
consolidating with the neighboring settlement of Barnegat in 1848.
  As an important stop for stagecoaches traveling between Detroit and 
Chicago, Saline attracted a number of artisan workshops and mills to 
complement its local agricultural industry. A desire for an affordable 
and reliable way to transport crops to market inspired farmers and 
merchants in Saline to raise funds for a railroad line connecting the 
community with Hillsdale and Ypsilanti, which opened for service on 
July 4, 1870. The railroad served Saline for nearly 100 years, 
transporting apples, wool, lumber and livestock, as well as finished 
goods sold in local stores. By 1875, Saline was the principal 
agricultural shipping point in southeast Michigan, with 700 residents 
who enjoyed a 3-story school building, 4 churches, 3 flouring-mills, 2 
tanneries, a foundry, 2 hotels, several stores, a newspaper, and daily 
mail.
  Saline continued to grow over the 20th century, even during the Great 
Depression. The Old Union School was demolished in 1930 and replaced by 
an Art Deco building that continued to serve as the community's school. 
In 1932, Saline Valley Farms was established. This farming cooperative 
consisted of 1,000 acres and attracted struggling families during the 
Great Depression. Over 100 people lived on the farm with their 
families, working cooperatively in the farm's dairy, orchards, poultry 
house, and gardens. The farm's success encouraged members to sell goods 
to the public with a storefront, as well as delivery vans that brought 
fresh produce and canned goods to Detroit and its suburbs. Many of the 
farm's families were attracted from outside Saline but continued to 
live in the area even after the venture closed in the 1950s.
  During World War II, many of Saline's young men and women went to 
work at the Ford Assembly Plant at Willow Run, which famously produced 
almost half of all the B-24 Liberator heavy bombers used during the 
war. In the decades since, Saline has continued to be a thriving 
community known for its open rural vistas and small town atmosphere. It 
has also continued to be an important driver of economic growth and 
innovation as home to a variety of major technical centers and 
manufacturing sites. Its nearly 10,000 residents enjoy well-maintained 
historic homes, a district library, a hospital, parks, recreation, art, 
and a museum. It has held true to the words expressed by Orange Risdon 
in 1840, when he wished that Saline would continue to ``shine in light, 
knowledge and liberty with the same increasing brilliance that she has 
shown from infancy to present time.'' I am proud to represent Saline in 
the U.S. Senate, and I wish the community many more years of 
success.

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