Adrian: where Michigan's first railroad ran

Adrian got its start as a railroad town. In 1836, the Erie & Kalamazoo Railroad reached Adrian from Toledo. That was the year before Michigan even became a state. It was the first railroad built anywhere in Michigan. It barely resembled a modern train. A horse pulled a carriage along oak rails topped with strap iron. A round trip to Toledo took all day. You’ll often hear it called the first railroad west of the Alleghenies. That’s the traditional boast. But a couple of lines down South were actually a bit earlier. A steam locomotive, the “Adrian No. 1,” arrived the next year. Adrian grew into a busy rail and factory town.

Downtown, another piece of old Adrian still draws crowds. The Croswell Opera House dates to 1866. It spent about 50 years as a movie theater before local residents bought it in 1967 and brought live theater back. It still puts on shows.