Saline / Salt Springs
N 42° 09.952 W 083° 46.851
17T E 270286 N 4671936
Historical marker in downtown Saline regarding Salt Springs. Street parking and a lot for parking.
Waymark Code: WMVFGP
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 04/12/2017
Views: 3
The city of Saline took its name from the natural salt springs in this area. During the Palezoic era between 600 and 230 million years ago. Michigan's lower peninsula was covered by sea water. When the sea receded it left behind salt and other minerals. The bones of mastodons and other ancient animals have been discovered near salt springs in this area, leading some to believe they needed salt in their diet. Native people once lived in a village at one of the springs. They hunted animals attracted to the salt and produced salt using an evaporation process.
Saline is located in an area once claimed by Frace. When eighteenth century mapmakers recorded this area, they named the river "Saline." the French word for salt marsh. Joseph Francis surveyed this area in 1819. Orange Risdon noted the salt springs in the surrounding area on his 1825 plot of the millitary road between Detroit and Chicago (later US-12). According to early county histories in 1826 Leonard Miller became the first Euro-American to settle here. The community officially became known as "saline" in 1832. It became a village in 1866 and a city in 1931.
Visit Instructions:Take a photo of your GPS at the marker. We'd prefer a photo of you with your GPS, but we realize that sometimes that's just not possible or preferable.
Also include a bit about your visit to the marker.
NEW: Instructions for logging Missing Marker Visits.
If the Marker is missing, but still listed here, you must provide a photo of you at the actual item historically honored. (This should be the waymark's "default" image). Indicate in your log that you took your photo at the Historical Location instead of the marker, because the marker was missing. Please also still include a bit about your visit to the site.