History of Murree

Until 1876, Murree was the summer headquarters of the Punjab local government; after 1876 the headquarters were moved to Shimla.

The railway connection with Lahore, the capital of the Punjab Province, via Rawalpindi, made Murree a popular resort for Punjab officials, and the villas and other houses erected for the accommodation of English families gave it a European aspect. The houses crowned the summit and sides of an irregular ridge, the neighboring hills were covered during the summer with encampments of British troops, while the station itself was filled with European visitors from the plains and travelers to Kashmir.

In the hot season it was the headquarters of the Lieutenant General of the Northern Command. The Commissioner of the Rawalpindi Division and the Deputy-Commissioner of Rawalpindi also resided here during part of the hot season, for which period an Assistant Commissioner was placed in charge of the subdivision consisting of Murree Tehsil. The site was selected in 1850 almost immediately after the annexation of the Province, and building operations commenced at once. In 1851 temporary accommodation was provided for a detachment of troops; and in 1853 permanent barracks was erected. The regular garrison generally consisted of two mountain batteries and one battalion of infantry. In 1873, 1874, and 1875 Murree was the summer headquarters of the Punjab Government. It was connected with Rawalpindi town by a service of tongas.

In 1901 the population of the town was officially 1844, although if summer visitors had been included this could have been as high as 10,000.

After the British forces' establishment of Murree as a hill station/resort, many British soldiers and administrators opted to spend the summers there because of the cooler climate. The British settled in and