Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Sauget

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Sauget

Sauget dates to 1926, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1934 on and the census since 1930.

1926founded
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Sauget began

When was Sauget founded?

1926

Sauget dates its founding to 1926 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 304 in 19302020 census: 141100 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sauget’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Sauget are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 359 in 1940; 141 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Sauget’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sauget’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sauget’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Sauget, census by census

010020030040019401960198020002020Peak: 359

Peaked at 359 in 1940; 141 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sauget’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Sauget came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sauget.

Read it all →

Sauget was incorporated as "Monsanto" in 1926. It was formed to provide a lighter regulatory environment and low taxes for Monsanto chemical plants at a time when local jurisdictions had most of the responsibility for environmental rules. It was renamed in honor of Leo Sauget, its first Village President.

The village was incorporated in part in response to the failure of government in adjacent East St. Louis, Illinois to deliver essential services, and in part to take advantage of federal grant funding programs available only to governmental units, as opposed to private industry.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Sauget, 1926 to 1940

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1926
    FoundingSauget is established
  3. 1934On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 359
By decade

Sauget, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Sauget, IL Coal Power Plant2013Sauget, IL Coal Power PlantSauget, IL Coal Power Plant - panoramio (edited)2013Sauget, IL Coal Power Plant - panoramio (edited)Solutia@Sauget2010Solutia@Sauget
On the map

Sauget on the map, 1934 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sauget. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Sauget on the 1934 USGS mapSauget on the 1940 USGS mapSauget on the 1954 USGS mapSauget on the 1968 USGS mapSauget on the 1974 USGS mapSauget on the 1993 USGS map1934Cahokia sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sauget.

Famous people

Famous people close to Sauget

Nobody well known was born in Sauget itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
T. S. EliotUS-British poet · b. 1888
Maya AngelouAmerican poet, author, and civil rights activist · b. 1928
Josephine BakerAmerican-born French dancer, singer and actress · b. 1906
Steven ChuAmerican physicist, former United States Secret… · b. 1948
Taylor MomsenAmerican actress, singer and model · b. 1993
Roger D. KornbergAmerican biochemist · b. 1947
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Gone or out of use
Sidney Street Ferrycrossing

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Cahokia Heights4 historic placesBCentreville Township4 historic placesB+East St. Louis8 historic placesAEast St. Louis Township8 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Sauget’s history

What year was Sauget founded?

In 1926, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1930 counted 304 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.