The Okemos and East Lansing areas were grounds for the Anishinaabeg. These were also the hunting and fishing grounds for Chief Okemos and his tribe, whose reservation today is the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Mt. Pleasant. The Red Cedar was known to be a fish-rich river, with a large deer population in the area, much like today. These Tribal Lands were ceded to the U.S. Federal Government through treaties and later given to the State of Michigan for Michigan State University to become a Land Grant School.
Many of today's roads and highways follow Native Tribe's routes. Rivers, including the Red Cedar, were used by the Anishinaabeg for transportation. Before settlement, much of the area was swamps and wetlands. Floating on the river made these areas much easier to navigate. Now, we use Grand River Avenue, which runs along the Red Cedar and Grand River.
Okemos is named after Chief Okemos, who played key roles in both battle and diplomacy. While European settlers called him Chief Okemos, his people knew him as Ogemaa (leader, teacher).
In 1839, Sanford Marsh became the first settler to build a home in the Village of Okemos. Shortly after, Freeman Bray moved into the area and was the first to plot the village, which he named Hamilton. Bray opened the first tavern in Okemos, where he also served as the postmaster for many years. In 1859, the village was renamed Okemos in honor of Chief Okemos.
In 1854, Ebenezer Walker built the first Grist Mill. This allowed farmers to grind their corn and wheat locally, instead of travelling to Dexter or Howell. Freeman Bray's Tavern and Ebenezer Walker's Grist Mill were located on the north bank of the Red Cedar River, near where Wonch Park sits today.