The topography of the land reflects features formed by the glacial activity which occurred in Michigan during the Pleistocene Epoch and ended about 25,000 years ago. Moraines, outwash deposits, and kettles are typical features of the area. Except for weathering processes which have taken place continuously since the last glaciation, and physical changes brought about by man, the land remains basically the same.

The land which can be seen from the hiking trails was purchased between November 1944 and October 1949. Open fields: abandoned farm fields of a vanishing era; the old stone fences: representing former property boundaries and convenient places to put rocks taken from the plowed fields; the oak-hickory woodlands: mostly new growth but with a few giants as remembrances of our heritage. As in the past, wildlife still abounds along the trail -- from white-tailed deer and fox, to cottontail rabbit, pheasant, partridge, and quail. The sighting of such wildlife species is dependent mostly on the hiker. The more patient and quiet you are, the better your chances of seeing game. Tracks of raccoon, squirrel, and other animals can be found along the trail, imprinted in the soft earth.

This was the land of the Potawatomi and the Saginaw Chippewa. This is the land taken over by the White Man, the first of whom permanently settled in Livingston County in 1828. As settler numbers and settlements grew, woodlands were cleared and farms became commonplace. However, there are many lakes, ponds, and swamps in the area and the glacial drift, for the most part, is not as suitable for farming as soil in other areas. As Michigan became more urban-oriented, and as farming became more mechanized and specialized, many of the farmers abandoned their property or sold out and the land reverted to nature.