Rooted in History, Growing for the Future: Celebrating 60 years of Oakland County Parks

For 60 years, Oakland County Parks (OCP) has been providing recreation experiences for residents.

We’ve made memories together at the campgrounds, learned about the environment at the nature centers, celebrated milestones at the event centers, splashed at the waterparks, adventured off-road at the ORV park, let our pets run off-leash at the dog parks, enjoyed relaxing afternoons on the golf courses and supported farmers and local small businesses at the Oakland County Farmers Market. We’ve also explored countless miles of trails by foot, bike, horseback and cross-country skis.

There is definitely truth to the old saying “time flies when you’re having fun.”

Before we knew it, six decades passed and OCP’s 17 parks emerged as essential resources for health and community connection across all corners of the county. To celebrate its 60th anniversary, OCP will host several special events for the public to enjoy, including Oakie’s Birthday Bash from 5:30-8:30 p.m. July 24 at Independence Oaks County Park.

We’re looking forward to many more years of preserving natural areas, enhancing outdoor community spaces and offering unique recreation programming for individuals of all ages and abilities.

The Oakland County Board of Commissioners honored Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission (OCPRC) with a proclamation to celebrate its 60th anniversary on Feb. 19. Attending were Graphic Designer Garrett Ebbeling, OCPRC Commissioner Shanell Weatherspoon, Manager – Operations Jim Dunleavy, Oakland County Commissioner and OCPRC Vice Chair Yolanda Smith Charles, 6oth Anniversary Ambassador J. David VanderVeen, Oakland County Water Resources and OCPRC Commissioner Jim Nash, Oakland County and OCPRC Commissioner Christine Long, OCPRC Chair Ebony Bagley, OCP mascot Oakie the Squirrel, Oakland County Commissioner and OCPRC Executive Committee Member Ann Erickson Gault, Manager – Strategic Planning & Performance Dr. Esther Jackson, Parks Historian Carol Bacak-Egbo, Recreation Program Specialist Heaven Ortwine and Parks Sponsorship Coordinator Robin McGregor.

Our rural roots

According to Parks Historian Carol Bacak-Egbo, all our parks were once farms.

For example, an 1872 map shows the land that became Independence Oaks County Park consisted of 14 farms at that time, including those of the Bailey, Belitz and Baldwin families. In that same year, only the horse farm of Charles C. McCartey was on the land that became Pontiac Oaks Park.

It isn’t just old maps that reveal OCP’s rural roots. Sometimes it’s something as simple as a lilac bush. You’ll find a huge one near the parking lot off Fish Lake Road in Rose Oaks County Park Nature Area. Lilacs are a sure sign that someone once lived nearby. People frequently planted them next to their outhouses in the days before Febreze or Glade!

A lilac bush near the parking lot off Fish Lake Road in Rose Oaks County Park Nature Area.

In some cases, we still have old foundations of farm buildings in our parks. Off Baldwin Road in the western part of Orion Oaks County Park Nature Area is a stone barn foundation that was likely part of the Gingell family farm.

Puppet shows entertained guests in OCP’s early days.

Other remnants of our farm history include stone fence rows and old fence posts. At Addison Oaks County Park and Campground, there are two old rusty fence posts in the eastern part of the park. They are the last visible features of the Shoemaker homestead that dated back to the 1840s.

At Addison Oaks County Park and Campground, there are two old rusty fence posts in the eastern part of the park. They are the last visible features of the Shoemaker homestead.

Here’s something else to think about: The farmers who began these farms were not the first farmers to plant crops on land that became our parks. That history belongs to Indigenous farmers who planted crops such as corn long before the Bailey, Belitz and Baldwin families.

How OCP started

The parks system was established in 1966, 40 years after Manley Davis donated 169 acres of his family’s homestead in Davisburg for the creation of a county-owned park. At the time, no funding mechanism existed for such parks without special legislation, but that changed with the passage of Michigan’s Public Act 261 of 1965. Hoping to preserve green spaces from rapid urban growth, it allowed for the creation of county and regional park systems under the direction of Park and Recreation Commissions.

Shortly after, the Davisburg Park Golf Course that had been operating on the Manley property under the Oakland County Road Commission was transferred to the newly formed Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission. This is the site where Springfield Oaks County Park continues to operate today.

Following voter approval of a park millage, more property was acquired for recreation purposes. Waterford Oaks County Park, formerly the site of the Evangelical Mission Church and campground, was purchased in 1967. The 197-acre Paradise Campground and Beach was purchased and renamed Groveland Oaks County Park in 1968. The 700-acre Tudor Hills Gun Club and Game Preserve in Leonard was purchased and renamed Addison Oaks County Park. In 1969, OCPRC purchased 337 acres from the Brock and Pew families to establish Independence Oaks County Park. The purchase of White Lake Oaks Golf Course came in 1970. Today, the parks system features more than 7,000 acres and 17 parks.

Waterford Oaks County Park, formerly the site of the Evangelical Mission Church and campground, was purchased in 1967.

Significant milestones

Over the decades, OCP has redefined outdoor recreation, reaching significant milestones such as:

Opening Michigan’s first waterpark at Waterford Oaks in 1976. The outdoor facility was the second municipally owned wave pool in the United States.
Building a bicycle motocross (BMX) track from soil excavated for the Waterford Oaks wave pool.
Achieving a Catch-and-Release-Only Special Designation for Upper Bushman Lake at Independence Oaks-North Nature Park. It is the first and only public access lake in Southeast Michigan with this designation.
Opening Holly Oaks ORV Park, a year-round adventure destination open to all types of ORVs, in 2020. The park is a joint state-county project operated by Oakland County Parks in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Partnering with the City of Pontiac on Pontiac Oaks Park. Oakland County Parks is investing more than $1.5 million to improve park facilities and has assumed responsibility for park management and maintenance while the City of Pontiac retains ownership of the property.

What lies ahead

OCP is focused on its mission to provide equitable access, conservation, recreation and health and wellness benefits, ensuring parks continue to meet the evolving needs of the communities it serves. Nearly 2 million guests visit the parks each year and many more attend events, festivals and other activities where OCP provides mobile recreation units, nature education and additional opportunities.

Key statistics:

73 percent of Oakland County residents will live within three miles of a county-funded park by 2030
560 acres were added to the parks system through partnerships in 2025
An additional 640 acres are subject to proposed partnerships

Learn more at OaklandCountyParks.com.

Oakland County offers residents quality, affordable housing in welcoming neighborhoods with access to parks and recreation, public transportation, and healthy food as part of the Livable Neighborhoods goal in our five-year roadmap. Follow the Oakland County Executive Office on Facebook and X for updates.

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