Historically, the shores of the inland bays were home to native Americans, who harvested seafood and hunted in the surrounding marshes and forests. After the European settlers arrived, agriculture developed slowly around the "little bays." The property that is now Holts Landing State Park has a long recorded history as a small family farm. The Holt family maintained a farm with a bayshore boat landing on this site until 1957, when the property was sold to the state highway department. Then, in 1965, the first parcel of land was transferred to the State Park Commission, forming Holts Landing State Park.