 Park Lake at the southern edge of the township was the source of the Park Lake Trail, an important Native American trailway that intersected the Okemah Trail in what later became the city of East Lansing, Michigan.Park Lake developed into a regional recreation destination for the growing Lansing population after the state capitol relocated to Lansing in 1847 and the Michigan Agricultural College was established in East Lansing, Michigan in 1855.By the early 1900s Park Lake was surrounded by summer camps affiliated with various churches and associations as well as seasonal cabins and lodges.