On September 10, 1813, during the War of 1812, nine vessels of the United States Navy under Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, decisively defeated six vessels of Great Britain’s Royal Navy in the Battle of Lake Erie near Put-in-Bay.

It was named after the North American Indigenous tribe of the Ottawa (Odawa).

[5] In 1974, the County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[6] The county is notable in presidential politics for being a recent bellwether, having continuously voted for the winning candidate for thirteen elections from 1964 to 2016.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 41,428 people, 17,503 households, and 11,884 families living in the county.

[14] In terms of ancestry, 44.6% were German, 11.9% were Irish, 9.8% were English, 6.3% were American, and 6.1% were Polish.

[17] Prior to 1912, Ottawa County was a Democratic Party stronghold in presidential elections.

Starting with the 1912 election, the county was a national bellwether, only backing losing candidates in 1940, 1944, 1960 (Richard Nixon) and 2020 (Donald Trump).

[19][20] 8 major highways run through Ottawa County, including two interstates, and eight state routes.