History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

Leonard. It includes twenty-one miles within the county, the direction
from Pontiac to Oxford being almost due north; then to Leonard, east
by north.
In November, I907, the Grand Trunk completed a convenient passenger depot, and within the succeeding four years is said to have expended something like $400,000 within the city limits. This sum included
the extension of its trackage and the erection of buildings, the latter
including a large freight house which alone cost $Ioo,ooo and was put
in commission during the latter part of I9II.
THE MICHIGAN CENTRAL
Seventeen miles of the Bay City division of the Michigan Central
Railroad runs through the northeastern townships of the county from
Rochester to Thomas, the station beyond Oxford, including Orion and
Goodison's in its route.
PERE MARQUETTE RAILROAD
The western townships of Oakland county are accommodated by the
Pere Marquette Railroad. Its branch from Detroit to Grand Rapids
runs along the southwest corner of Lyon township, with South Lyon as
a station, while the branch from Toledo to Ludington traverses Novi,
Commerce (extreme southwest corner), Milford, Highland, Rose and
Holly townships. The latter branch embraces as stations, Novi, Wixom,
Milford, Highland, Clyde, Rose Center and Holly, and furnishes the
county with thirty-two miles of railway.
DETROIT UNITED RAILWAY
After the Grand Trunk System, the Detroit United (Electric) Railway is the most important transportation agent of Oakland county; and
in the points of frequency of running and convenience of stoppage it
has the advantage of the steam railway. Perhaps the most important
sections covered by the electric lines are those in the southeastern,
southern and central portions of the county, which are not well accommodated by the steam railways. Within the city of Pontiac they not only
give easy access to the business and manufacturing sections of the city,
but to the homes in the northern and western sides and the Pontiac
State Hospital.
The Flint division of the Detroit United runs through Royal Oak,
Clawson, Big Beaver, Rochester, Lake Orion Junction and Goodison,
to Orion and Oxford; thence to Ortonville, in the northern part of the
county. Its general course is north to Rochester and thence northwest
to Ortonville, and it covers about fifty-five miles of trackage.
The Orchard Lake division of the Detroit United runs from Farmington to Pontiac, fifteen miles, taking in its course Orchard, Cass and
Sylvan lakes, and the cream of the summer resort region in the central
sections of the county. The Pontiac division covers the fourteen miles