The Battle of Saint Nicholas Day 1648 took place on this heath in 1648, during which many residents of the surrounding villages were killed. In the Early Modern Period, the Donderslagse Heide was part of an extensive heathland area. In the northeast, the Donderslagse Heide bordered the Ophovenerheide, part of the extensive Gruitroodse Heide, which stretched like a finger between Neerglabbeek and Opoeteren and further to Waterloos. Today this "finger" is known as the Dune Belt nature reserve. South of the Donderslagse Heide lay the Waterscheidse Heide (up to the Onderwijslaan in Genk), which continued to the southeast (the Zutendaalse and Mechelse Heide) and the southwest (Winterslagse Heide). The Waubergheide was located north of the Donderslagse Heide. West of the Donderslagse Heide lay the road from Peer to Helchteren, along which various lands had already been cultivated. Northwest of this road was another heathland area: the Wijchmaalse heath. From the nineteenth century, large parts of this heathland were transformed into agricultural areas (Waubergheide), wooded for mining (Zutendaalse Heide) or urbanized (Waterscheidse Heide). The part of the Donderslagse Heide east of the N76 was largely forested, just like the nearby Gruitroodse Heide. The southwestern part of the Donderslagse Heide, towards Houthalen, was built for the new Houthalen-Oost urban district.