The City of Fremont lies on the banks of the Sandusky River on land that was once the home of the Seneca, Crawford, Wyandotte, and Ottawa Indians. In the 1600s, the Indians referred to this area at the lower rapids as "jungquendendah" or place of peace. A place of peace is how the region remained for much of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was not until 1785, that the first white people (two, to be exact) came to inhabit the area. It would not be until the Treaty of Greenville in 1796 that more white men would settle there; however, those who did settle were few in number and often associated with Fort Stephenson Military Post.

Fort Stephenson was never meant to be anything more than a rest stop for travelers moving between Pittsburgh and Detroit. Though the fort was never considered to be of strategic importance, the War of 1812 brought a change to the mission of the post.l the post was garrisoned for protection against Indian and British soldiers, and successfully defended by less than 200 men under the leadership of Major George Croghan.

Four years after the War in 1816, the area saw its first substantial settlement. Located on the eastern banks of the Sandusky River was the town of Croghansville. One year later, in 1817, the village of Lower Sandusky was established. In 1822, these two towns merged under the name of Lower Sandusky; however, by 1849 it became necessary to change the name of the city because it shared the name Sandusky with three other cities in the region. With the help of Rutherford B. Hayes, who would later serve as President of the United States from 1877 to 1881, the name Fremont was chosen.

Fremont's first substantial growth period began in the 1830s. Located on the Sandusky River, the city supported a thriving shipping and fishing industry throughout much of the 19th century; however, with the building of canals that linked Cleveland and Toledo, Fremont lost much of its prosperous shipping business. The loss of much of its shipping industry was a setback that would be shortly overcome by laying railroad tracks through the City. Today, railway transportation still plays an important role in Fremont's economy.