The Saginaw Trail was once a footpath through this wooded region used by Native Americans. In the 1820s, it became the first road in the region for travel from Pontiac through the southwest corner of Independence Township and on to Saginaw. It was vital to the settlement and growth of the area and came to be called Dixie Highway. When the first railroad and depot were built nearby in the 1850s, Depot Road became the main link to Clarkston for mail, shipping, and travelers. As automobiles became common in the early 1900s, paved roads gave drivers better access to the attractive businesses, homes, and recreation of Independence Township.