Pedro Salgado, the Dominican writer, in volume I of his "Cagayan Valley and Eastern Cordillera (1581-1898)," wrote that Echague formerly used to be called Camarag, the name of a big tree then common in the place.

In order to facilitate the work of the missionaries in the evangelization of the Cagayan Valley, a royal decree was issued on May 1, 1856, that created the Province of Isabela consisting of the towns of Gamu, Angadanan, Bindang (now Roxas) and Camarag (now Echague), Carig (now Santiago City) and Palanan.

Some 72 years later, the people returned to Camarag, later renamed after Rafael de Echagüe y Bermingham, a former Spanish governor-general.

Poverty Incidence of Echague Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] As a municipality in the Province of Isabela, government officials in the provincial level are voted by the electorates of the town.

Echague, belonging to the sixth legislative district of the province of Isabela, currently represented by Hon.

Faustino A. Dy V.[21] The Schools Division of Isabela governs the town's public education system.