Toledo

The county seat of Lucas County, Ohio is the city of Toledo. It was first founded in 1833 and incorporated as part of Monroe County in Michigan Territory. Settlers didn't really settle much in the beginning of the life of Toledo, and property changed hands often. By 1836, not a single one of the original settlers remained. It was re-founded after the Toledo War, also known as the Michigan-Ohio War, ended in 1837 and incorporated in Ohio. The Wabash and Erie Canal opened in 1845. In 1850, there were 3,829 residents, and ten years later, in 1860, the population had swollen to 13,768. The railroads came through in the 1860s, silently beckoning carriage makers, breweries, furniture manufacturers, and glass makers. As the commercial side of Toledo began to grow, immigrants were attracted to the jobs, and by 1880, Toledo was one of the largest cities in the state. Manufacturing was booming, though it was adversely affected by the Great Depression. World War II brought the city back out of the slump as its Willys-Overland Company began manufacturing jeeps in 1941.