Lucas County, Ohio

Lucas County, Ohio
The Lucas County Courthouse in Toledo
Flag Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location in the U.S.
Founded	June 20, 1835
Named for	Robert Lucas
Seat	Toledo
Largest city	Toledo
Area
• Total	596 sq mi (1,544 km2)
• Land	341 sq mi (883 km2)
• Water	255 sq mi (660 km2), 43%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	433,689
• Density	1,296/sq mi (500/km²)
Congressional districts	5th, 9th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.co.lucas.oh.us

Lucas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio and bordered on the east by Lake Erie, and on the southeast by the Maumee River, which runs to the lake. As of the 2010 census, the population was 441,815. Its county seat is Toledo, located at the mouth of the Maumee River on the lake. The county was named for Robert Lucas, 12th governor of Ohio, in 1835 during his second term. Its establishment provoked the Toledo War conflict with the Michigan Territory, which claimed some of its area.

Lucas County is part of the Toledo, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.

On August 20, 1794, near the site of the present-day town of Maumee, American forces led by General Anthony Wayne won a decisive victory over allied Indian forces at the Battle of Fallen Timbers after years of conflict in what was known as the Northwest Indian War. The defeat of the Native forces resulted in the opening of the entire Northwest Territory for white settlement. Northwest Ohio was occupied chiefly by villages and bands of the Odawa people, who had trading relations with the French at Fort Detroit since 1701. Other Odawa were located in southeast Michigan and further north on the peninsula. They ceded much of that territory in the Treaty of Greenville but retained control of lands along the Maumee River until after the War of 1812. The last Odawa band, that of Ottokee, grandson of Chief Pontiac, left the Maumee River area for Kansas in 1839.