CHIEF PONTIAC & JESSE W. FELL
The City of Pontiac was founded in 1837 by Jesse Fell. Mr. Fell was a Bloomington, Illinois businessman, who also founded Illinois State University. During Lincoln’s 1858 United States Senate campaign, it was Fell who urged him to challenge his opponent, Stephen A. Douglas, to their famous series of debates. Jesse Fell named the town of Pontiac after the legendary Ottawa Indian chief who became famous for his role in Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763-1766), an American Indian struggle against the British military occupation of the Great Lakes region following the British victory in the French and Indian War. No authentic images of the chief remain and this mural is based upon images gathered of other Native Americans from the Ottawa tribe.