[3] The earliest inhabitants of the area were different Native American societies that existed prior to European contact.

It is believed that by 1700 the site was abandoned, likely due to contact with explorers like Hernando de Soto.

[5] It is thought that a small farming community was formed near Oak Ridge's modern location around this time.

Cedars Plantation located at 4987 Lake Irwin Rd is considered the oldest surviving structure not just in the town, but the whole parish, built in 1840.

Not much is known about the towns early history, but one surviving relic is a small wooden jail that is estimated to have been built in 1850.

[6] The existence of this jail hints at the fact that Oak Ridge may have served an administrative purpose for the parish at the time.

The jail was eventually donated and now sits at the Louisiana State University - Rural Life Museum in Baton Rouge.