In October of 1818, five men spent twelve days exploring Oakland County’s lakes area. When they returned, they wrote a newspaper article describing what they found in glowing terms. When it was received in Detroit and New York, the article kicked off the settlement of Pontiac and the creation of Oakland County.

Why did they go? What did they see? What did they do when they returned?

As with all things, this expedition didn’t happen in a vacuum – there were events brewing and plans afoot – on the national stage, in the newly created Michigan territory, in Detroit, and in the future Oakland County.

It’s a fast moving story of volcanoes, Native Americans, businessmen and the founding of an inland town called Pontiac. It’s a story of land sales, future leaders in their youth, and the early explosive growth of our home ground.

Join Barbara Frye and Dave Decker on October 14th as they put this journey into context and celebrate this exploration, the founding of Pontiac and the early settlement of Oakland County.