In 1846, Henry, George, and John Lansing settled the area, coming from the state of New York. In 1850, Lansing's first business, the Union Hotel, was built. The Pennsylvania Railroad came through Lansing in 1856, followed later by the Grand Trunk Railroad. In 1865, Henry Lansing was named postmaster and John Lansing platted the town, which was incorporated in 1893. Agriculture and brickyards dominated Lansing's economy in the late 1800s.

The industrial development of the Calumet region in the early twentieth century had a significant effect on the Lansing area. With the availability of jobs the population grew, and the first bank in Lansing was chartered in 1909, followed in 1910 by the first subdivision for homes. In 1911 telephone lines were strung and in 1912 electricity followed. A major improvement in transportation was the paving of Ridge Road with concrete in 1915. Considerable business developed in the 1920s, and in 1924 the Ford Airport was built with one of the first passenger waiting rooms in the country.

During the Great Depression, Lansing lost a number of small businesses as well as the first Lansing State Bank. Camp Thornton was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in a forest preserve to the west of Lansing. During World War II the camp was used to house German prisoners of war, who worked for local farmers.

In the postwar period Lansing experienced a building boom, as large numbers of white ethnics moved in from Chicago. During the 1950s Lansing experienced its largest population increase, and the last remaining farmland was subdivided in 1964.