Oakland County marks six decades of its park system this year. Officials want residents to post their park stories at Facebook.com/OCParks.
The system stretches across 7,000 acres. Close to 2 million people visit each year. Come 2030, three out of four residents will be within three miles of a county park.
County Commissioner Gwen Markham of Novi holds a unique tie to this milestone. Her father, Daniel T. Murphy, spearheaded the system.
“One of the things he was really proud of is in the 1960s when the county was acquiring all this property and created the parks system,” she said according to The Oakland Press. “Mostly it was parks that already existed or golf courses.”
Murphy entered politics through a 1956 appointment to county register of deeds. He climbed to chairman of the board of auditors, which controlled county spending.
He pushed voters to approve the first park millage in 1966. It squeaked through with 51% support.
The following year, Manley Davis gave 169 acres of his family’s homestead in Davisburg to the new parks department. That same year, the county purchased land for Waterford Oaks County Park.
Murphy won election as the first county executive in the state in 1974. He held office until 1992, winning reelection several times.
In 2025, the county forged partnerships to add 560 acres. Another 640 acres might join through new agreements.
Details about the county parks’ birthday celebration in July will come out soon. Residents can find more information at OaklandCountyParks.com.