They framed a story about the city with 65 blocks, an academic square, a public square and a church. People bought plots in the city which did not exist. They found out the scam upon reaching the area. Some of them settled down in the area and named it as Lansing after their hometown, Lansing in New York.
In the year 1847 it was required to change the capital from Detroit, which was close to British-controlled Canada. Several cities lobbied to be the capital but the city of Lansing was chosen by the Michigan House of Representatives. Governor William L. Greenly made the Lansing Township the official capital of Michigan.
The Old Town was the place where the first house of Lansing was built by James Seymour in 1843. During 1847, the Lower Town started developing after the Franklin Avenue was developed. The Upper Town developed around the Main Street Bridge on the Grand River. The last to develop was the Middle Village.
The incorporation of Lansing as a city happened in 1859 when the city encompassed an area of 7 square miles. The city started prospering around the Old Motor Vehicle Company, which was established in 1897.
Today Lansing is a thriving city of Michigan.
| 