The first formal form of government in the area that encompasses today’s Oregon was an incorporated Oregon Township from 1838. The name itself is in a way inspired by the state of Oregon. It was used as a sales ploy to use the popularity of a successful fur trading business in the State of Oregon. By naming the city the same way some of that fame transferred and helped bring interest to the settlement of the city. As more and more settlers arrived the woods were quickly chopped up, but the land left behind was very fruitful.
With that came a change in the industry and the development of drainage canals that are still present in the area.
The area continued its industrial development which drew annexation interest from the neighboring city of Toledo. As a reply, there was a vote on the incorporation of the township into a city, which officially happened in 1958.