Indian Landing-Charlton Park

In the early nineteenth century the Thornapple band of Ottawa Indians established a village a short distance from Thornapple Lake. It was served in the 1840s by a Methodist mission and school conducted by the Reverend Mannaseh Hickey. Trails leading to Canada and the Grand River intersected near the northeast end of the lake. In 1848 four Indian families purchased land here, remaining until their removal to northern Michigan about 1855. In 1936 Irving D. Charlton donated the land to Barry County for a park in memory of his parents and founded a museum with a large collection of pioneer artifacts. He served as director until his death in 1963.