Oregon ( ORR ih gon) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. Located on Lake Erie, it is a suburb of Toledo lying east of the city and is home to Maumee Bay State Park. The population was 19,950 at the 2020 census.
At a Glance
- County: Lucas County
- State: Ohio
History of Oregon
Oregon was once part of the Great Black Swamp. The swamp area was rich with oak, hickory, ash, walnut, elm and maple trees. This led to the establishment of numerous sawmills and settlements. The harvested forests created rich farmland, but the area remained swampy and there was a need for storm drainage. Major ditches were constructed, usually along roadways that followed the path of old Indian trails. These ditches continue to provide storm drainage today, carrying storm water into Maumee Bay.
"The town was named Oregon by Pierre M. Irving, a nephew of Washington Irving, author of the popular book Astoria. This book attracted considerable interest in John Jacob Astor’s trading lands which were located in what is now the state of Oregon. The story, however, is an account of Astor’s fur trading in the territory of Oregon; but since the nephew was representing Astor’s interest in fur trading east of the Maumee River, he succeeded in having the town named Oregon. In 1838, Mr. Irving, accompanied by his wife, went to New York expecting to remain there for the summer; but for some reason he never returned." Quoted in the History of Oregon and Jerusalem book, authored by Josephine Fassett.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Oregon, Ohio, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.