The Dayton – Montgomery County Park District (MetroParks) was formed in 1965. As they began to develop parks, they desired to find land to serve the suburbs south of Dayton, but by the mid 1960’s, land prices in Centerville and Washington Township had already escalated beyond the reach of the young Park District’s budget. Sugarcreek MetroPark, in Greene County, was acquired in October 1966 to meet those needs.

The majority of Sugarcreek is made up of two major land purchases, in December of 1966. Much of the park was once farmland. The farm fields were cropped for the last time in 1968.

There is no documented history of Native American activity in Bellbrook, except that the Wyandots camped outside the village in route to a reservation in Kansas in 1843. However, the large rivers around the area served as waterways for travel, so there’s no doubt the Shawnees hunted and fished in and throughout the area.

Two companies in Bellbrook advertised the making of “living fence” in the late 1800’s. It was described as “more permanent and more secure than any other fence, and highly ornamental”. They made a business of preparing the ground, setting out the plants, cultivating and trimming them until the perfect hedge was formed. One ad quoted a price of 60 cents a rod (1rod=16.5 feet) for planting, and offered two trimmings a year for $3.50 for 100 yards. This is how the Osage tunnel was originally formed at Sugarcreek MetroPark!