East Lansing

The modern city of East Lansing, Michigan is a thriving community of 46,000 people located just a few miles from the state capital building in Lansing. Originally a crossroads of Indian trails and encampments, the first modern development at the site was the Agriculture College of the State of Michigan. Founded in 1855, it later became Michigan State University. A surrounding community soon sprang up as a result of the college's establishment and growth. First named Collegeville, this community organized, petitioned for, and received a city charter from the state in 1907. The city and the college still share a symbiotic relationship, but they have developed into two diverse and distinct communities. This pictorial history presents images of the town as it originated and grew, in less than 100 years, into one of Michigan's most interesting cities.