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.

CHAPTER XXI

CITY OF PONTIAC
FIRST ELECTION-CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT BORN-FIRST CITY HALLVALUE OF PROPERTY IN I876 —"JOHN P. FOSTER NO. 2"-SMALLPOX
EPIDEMICS OF I881-82-NEWSPAPER SENSATION-RESIGNATION OF
CHIEF ENGINEER FOSTER-CITY FINANCES IN I876-BOARD OF WATER
COMMISSIONERS CREATED-THE NEW FIFTH WARD-ORIGINAL SYSTEM OF WATER WORKS-ELECTRIC LIGHTING AND TELEPHONE SYSTEMS-FIRST GAMEWELL FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH-MUNICIPAL
GOVERNMENT IN I894-FIRST THREE YEARS OF WATER SERVICELIGHTING AND TELEPHONE SERVICE AGAIN-SEWERAGE SYSTEM INAUGURATED-EXTENSION OF WATER WORKS-TELEPHONE SERVICE
UP TO DATE-COMMISSION GOVERNMENT ADOPTE —EARLY,MEASURES PASSED-INCREASED EFFICIENCY OF FIRE DEPARTMENT-THE
PRESENT CITY HALL-MAYORS OF PONTIAC-THE CITY PRESSOAK HILL CEMETERY-GAS LIGHTING AND ELECTRIC POWERPOSTOFFICE AND POSTMASTERS-THE PONTIAC STATE HOSPITAL.
This chapter deals with the history of Pontiac as a city, tracing its
general development as a municipality, with sketches of its various departments, from its first incorporation in I86I to the adoption of the
commission form of government in I9II, a period almost exactly of
half a century.
CHARTERED
Pontiac was chartered as a city by an act of the legislature approved
by the governor March 15, 1861, its territorial limits being the same as
those of the village-that is, section 29, the west half of section 28, the
north half of section 32 and the northwest quarter of section 33. By
the amendment of March 20, I867, the limits were extended so as to include the south half sections of 19, 20 and 2I and all of sections 28,
29, 30, 31, 32 and 33, making an area of three by two and a half miles
and including 4,800 acres. The same territory was covered by the city,
although of course settled and improved along every modern line, at
the commencement of the commission form of government April I, I9II.
By the amended act of March 20, I867, Pontiac was divided into
four wards, and a fifth was added in I889.
The above may be designated as the chief divisions in the history of
Pontiac as a city. The steps in this progress are to be described hereafter somewhat in detail.
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