An 1874 timetable.
An 1876 railroad map showing the route.More information
- Lifelines Spring 2003.
In 1870 a second line reached Manchester--the Detroit, Hillsdale, Indiana. This line connected the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern at Hillsdale to the Michigan Central in Ypsilanti. The two lines crossed west of Manchester, and a second station was built at the site of present-day Chi-Bro Park. The DHI continued east through Bridgewater, Saline, and Pittsfield Junction. In 1910 the brick Union Station replaced the original wooden one used by the Lake Shore line. The DHI built a spur to reach the new station.
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.
- 1870s timeline, Michigan Railroad History
July 1871: Detroit, Hillsdale and Indiana Railroad opens line from Ypsilanti to Saline. [MCR-75/MRRC]
- Taylor v. Ypsilanti, 105 US 60 - Supreme Court 1882
This action was brought by Taylor, a citizen of New York, to recover from the city of Ypsilanti, a municipal corporation of Michigan, the amount of certain coupons cut from bonds issued by that city in aid of the construction of the Detroit, Hillsdale, and Indiana Railroad. At the conclusion of the evidence, the jury, being so instructed, returned a verdict in behalf of the city, upon which judgment was entered.
