Editing Center Line, Michigan (section)

==History==
Historically, the land that Center Line came to occupy was swamp and wilderness until the early nineteenth century. As land became scarce, French, German, Belgian, and Irish immigrants began clearing the forests and draining the swamps. Center Line was known as "Kunrod's Corner" during the mid-nineteenth century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.centerline.gov/history3.html |title=City of Center Line, Michigan |publisher=City of Center Line, Michigan |access-date=August 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509111633/http://www.centerline.gov/history3.html |archive-date=May 9, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The theory is that the [[France|French]] named it "Center Line" because it was the middle of three [[Potawatomi]] trails from [[Fort Detroit]] to northern trading posts. The "center line" was the trail used from [[Detroit]] to [[Utica, Michigan|Utica]].<ref name="Romig">{{cite book |first1=Walter |last1=Romig |title=Michigan Place Names |publisher=Walter Romig |date=1986 |page=107}}</ref> The community received its initial start when Catholics decided to build a church so that they would not have to walk to [[St. Mary Roman Catholic Church (Detroit)|St. Mary's]] in Detroit for Sunday Mass. This church (St. Clement's) was established in 1854 and attracted more Catholic settlers into the area. In 1863, the first general store was constructed by Joeseph Buechel.<ref name="Romig"/> On July 19, 1878, Hieronymous Engelmann was the first postmaster, and he was succeeded in 1885 by Sophia Buechel.<ref name="Romig"/> The "Centre Line" post office closed on July 31, 1906, and the name was restored to Center Line thereafter. In this era, [[tram|street car]] tracks connected Detroit to Center Line along Van Dyke Road, and Ten Mile Road was the final stop of the street car. The village was incorporated in 1925 in the center of Warren Township, which is now the city of Warren, and was incorporated as a city in 1936.<ref name="Romig"/>