Grand Saline, Texas

History

Grand Saline's first settlers were the ancient Caddo and Cherokee Indian tribes, who discovered and made use of a large salt prairie south of the town. The Native Americans used evaporated salt, from the brine stream that flows over the flats, as a commodity they traded for other needed goods. In the mid-19th century, the tribes moved southeast, having been forced out of the area by Mirabeau B. Lamar, second president of the Republic of Texas, and by general anti-Indian sentiment. Only a few years after the Indians left the salt prairie behind, a new group of settlers arrived. A settler named John Jordan and other newcomers brought their families and set up a primitive salt works. The community named Jordan's Saline quickly became the center of Van Zandt County and was, for a while, the county seat.

The salt produced here was used in the process of tanning leather and preserving foodstuffs. Following the American Civil War, the Texas and Pacific Railroad was extended from Marshall to Dallas. A parcel of land was donated to the railroad, a depot was built, and the stop was named Grand Saline. The City of Grand Saline was incorporated in 1895 and the community of Jordan's Saline faded into history as its residents moved north to the bustling new city.

From the History section of Grand Saline, Texas on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.