The first white settlers near the current Village of Okemos (to the south of the former Pine Lake) were Sanford Marsh and his wife who built their cabin in 1839. Currently, the Village of Haslett is located at the south side of Lake Lansing. An amusement park was introduced and enjoyed immense popularity into the mid-20th century. During the late 19th century, the lake became known as a local vacation area served by an 'interurban trolley' which ran from the City of Lansing to the resort on the south side of the lake. The lake was later the site of a Spiritualist Meeting Camp led by John Haslett. The earliest settlers located at Pine Lake (now Lake Lansing) and made use of the numerous stands of pines to build their cabin. In November 1836 Obed Marshall purchased 180 acres (73 ha) of land near present-day Haslett. Meridian Township was first settled by white pioneers in 1836. It is from this line that all townships were surveyed and measured. Meridian Township takes its name from the fact that the Michigan Meridian, the prime north-south survey line runs through the township. Meridian Township is the third largest municipality in the Lansing-East Lansing Metropolitan Statistical Area. Meridian Township is the local government unit that includes the unincorporated communities and census-designated places of Okemos and Haslett. As of the 2000 census the township had a population of 39,116. Meridian Charter Township is a charter township of Ingham County in the U.S.

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