In the last millennium, Native Americans paddled their canoes to an area of Michigan called Saline, which earned its name because of the large salt springs that abounded here.  The Indians took the salt back to their villages to use for trading and cooking and preserving meat. Saline, where six major Indian trails crossed, was also the meeting place for French voyagers who followed the rivers here and most likely used the salt licks as well (Saline is the French word for salt)Trappers traveled the rivers to find fur-bearing animals and also to journey to other spots to sell the animal pelts. 

It was Orange Risdon however, who surveyed the military road-later called US 12-that connected two great forts, one in Detroit and one in Chicago, who is considered the first settler.  Rison purchased 164 acres of land here in 1825 and built a house.

For a while there were two towns here. Schuyler Haywood built a flour mill on the west side of the Saline River. Soon other settlers added a sawmill, blacksmith shop, cooper shop, stores and a windmill factory.  The residents considered call their community Barnegat (after Schuyler's hometown of Barnegat, New Jersey) but by 1848, they opted to join the village of Saline.

Through the years, Saline has been home to many interesting businesses including a bomber factory during World War II, a silk cocoonery, the Saline Standard Windmill Manufacturing Company, and Saline Valley Farms, a 1,000 acre cooperative which attracted struggling farm families who worked together in agricultural pursuits.

Today, Saline is a charming town with restored late-Victorian commercial buildings, flower  boxes overflowing with lush blooms and a vital downtown. Saline, which hosts a Celtic festival each year, is also the hometown of the Saline Fiddlers and Fiddlers Restrung, two nationally renowned high school bluegrass/fiddle groups.  Recently ranked as the 42nd best place to live in the United States in a CNN/Money Magazine poll,  Saline also made CNN/Money's list of best places to retire.