Pontiac lies on the
Vermilion River. The town’s beginning was less than auspicious. A small group of people gathered at the cabin of Andrew McMillan on the banks of the Vermilion River. Their plan was to create a seat for the newly established county of Livingston. The town they would found was one of the last of the hundreds of new towns laid out in Illinois between 1835 and 1837. |
Experience
Pontiac The name of “Pontiac”
was in honor of an Native American leader, who as far anyone knew had never set foot in the area that would be Livingston County. The town did have a few advantages. It was a good place to cross the river, and a place for a good saw mill. |
The design of the original
town would prove to be one of Pontiac’s most enduring features. It was typical of Midwestern towns in the 1830s. Since there were neither improved roads nor railroads, the plan was centered on a town square; such squares would become much less common after the arrival of railroads. In these early towns the public square served to define the town center. |
Pontiac is home to several
museums including the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, the Pontiac- Oakland Automobile Museum, the Livingston County War Museum, the Yost House Museum and Art Center & the International Walldog Mural and Sign Art Museum. |
All changed when Pontiac
became a railroad town. Before long it was a boom town. People flooded in and money for improvements was available. By 1880 no one could doubt that Pontiac was a success. Improvements continued at a rapid pace. The first electric lights were installed in 1882. |