For centuries, this land was occupied by Native American people who lived in close harmony with their natural surroundings. Among the nations or tribes living in this area were the Ottawa (Odawa), Potawatomi, Huron (Wyandot), and Chippewas (Ojibwa), each with its own cultural identity, language, and lifestyle. They practiced agriculture, growing primarily corn, beans, and squash, and also had excellent fishing and hunting skills. The vast forests and prairies provided fruits, nuts, and other foods and medicines. The land where this park sits was once part of a three-mile by three-mile tract centered where the river Macon falls into the River Raisin, land given to the Potawatomi and other tribes as part of Hull's Treaty of 1807. Local Indians occupied the land for only a few decades before parts of the reservation were donated to the Catholic Church of St. Anne in Detroit and the rest was sold. Most of the people living on the reservation moved with their chief, Chief Moran, to St. Joseph County in western Michigan, and from there many were eventually forced to relocate to Indian reservations in Kansas under the U.S. government's Indian Relocation Act. Although many perished in this Trail of Death, descendants of the Potawatomi and other local tribes continue to live in Kansas as well as in Michigan.