Sauget, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Sauget is a village in St. Clair County
, Illinois
, United States
. It is part of Greater St. Louis. The population was 249 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11.5 km²), of which, 4.1 square miles (10.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (7.19%) is water.
Sauget is located in the American Bottom
, the floodplain of the Mississippi River
opposite St. Louis, Missouri
.
Although the Village of Sauget has but a tiny population, it has a lot of industry. The Village is controlled by these industries. 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.
The Village of Sauget operates the American Bottoms Treatment Plant, a very large sewage treatment plant that serves much of the Illinois side of the St. Louis metropolitan area. In addition, the Village operates a municipal physical/chemical treatment plant that receives industrial wastewater from its factories. This has been cited as one of only three municipal treatment plants of this type in the United States.
The Monsanto Plant in Sauget was the nation's largest producer of PCB
s, and United States Environmental Protection Agency
has designated the plant site along Dead Creek as a superfund
site.
The Monsanto plant in Sauget was also home to a very serious accident on January 4, 1992 when a worker (Charles Pritchett) was critically hurt. Pritchett was caught in what officials describe as a "screw like auger" used for moving small materials. He was stuck in the auger for five hours while officials had difficulty getting him out because his leg was wrapped around the blades of the auger and a piece of machinery was also on his leg. Officials later found out that the screw like auger was used for shredding tires. The Worker was in a coma for three months and pronounced dead twice. The workers leg was amputated because of the severity of the mutilation. Judge C. Glenn Stevens awarded the man $16,000,000 in 1993 because of the seriousness of the incident. To pay the judgment, the Midwest Rubber Reclaiming and equipment plant owned by the Monsanto Corporation was sold at auction in August 1993. The plant itself was sold for $12,000,000 and equipment was sold for $4,000,000 in 1993.
The Village of Sauget also has a very tolerant attitude toward small business. Many strip clubs exist in this zone of free enterprise, with many St. Louis locals referring to the area as the "Sauget Ballet" due to the high number of such facilities.
Other businesses include a "hockey puck" (chemical pucks found in stand-up toilets) factory as well as several ethanol production facilities, and a large 24-hour convenience/liquor/lottery outlet.
Sauget has its own 16-member fire department and 16-member police department; this is despite having a population below 250 people. There is roughly one officer and firefighter for every 15 residents in Sauget.
Sauget is also home to minor league baseball: the Gateway Grizzlies
of the Frontier League
, which are controlled by the Sauget family.
of 2000, there were 249 people, 101 households, and 61 families residing in the village. The population density
was 60.3 people per square mile (23.3/km²). There were 115 housing units at an average density of 27.8 per square mile (10.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 70.28% White, 27.71% African American, 1.20% Asian, 0.40% from other races
, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.
There were 101 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were married couples
living together, 21.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $35,833, and the median income for a family was $41,875. Males had a median income of $40,833 versus $25,714 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $19,330. About 20.0% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 11.1% of those sixty five or over.
St. Clair County, Illinois
St. Clair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the mean center of U.S. population in St. Clair County. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 270,056, which is an increase of 5.5% from 256,082 in 2000. Its county seat is...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of Greater St. Louis. The population was 249 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Sauget is located at 38°35′13"N 90°10′0"W (38.587013, -90.166690).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11.5 km²), of which, 4.1 square miles (10.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²) of it (7.19%) is water.
Sauget is located in the American Bottom
American Bottom
The American Bottom is the flood plain of the Mississippi River in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois, extending from Alton, Illinois, to the Kaskaskia River. It is also sometimes called "American Bottoms". The area is about , mostly protected from flooding by a levee and drainage canal...
, the floodplain of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
opposite St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
History
Sauget was incorporated as "Monsanto" in 1926. It was formed to provide a liberal regulatory environment and low taxes for the 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.Although the Village of Sauget has but a tiny population, it has a lot of industry. The Village is controlled by these industries. The Village was incorporated in part in response to the failure of government in adjacent East St. Louis, Illinois
East St. Louis, Illinois
East St. Louis is a city located in St. Clair County, Illinois, USA, directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 27,006, less than one-third of its peak of 82,366 in 1950...
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.
The Village of Sauget operates the American Bottoms Treatment Plant, a very large sewage treatment plant that serves much of the Illinois side of the St. Louis metropolitan area. In addition, the Village operates a municipal physical/chemical treatment plant that receives industrial wastewater from its factories. This has been cited as one of only three municipal treatment plants of this type in the United States.
The Monsanto Plant in Sauget was the nation's largest producer of PCB
Polychlorinated biphenyl
Polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx...
s, and United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
has designated the plant site along Dead Creek as a superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site.
The Monsanto plant in Sauget was also home to a very serious accident on January 4, 1992 when a worker (Charles Pritchett) was critically hurt. Pritchett was caught in what officials describe as a "screw like auger" used for moving small materials. He was stuck in the auger for five hours while officials had difficulty getting him out because his leg was wrapped around the blades of the auger and a piece of machinery was also on his leg. Officials later found out that the screw like auger was used for shredding tires. The Worker was in a coma for three months and pronounced dead twice. The workers leg was amputated because of the severity of the mutilation. Judge C. Glenn Stevens awarded the man $16,000,000 in 1993 because of the seriousness of the incident. To pay the judgment, the Midwest Rubber Reclaiming and equipment plant owned by the Monsanto Corporation was sold at auction in August 1993. The plant itself was sold for $12,000,000 and equipment was sold for $4,000,000 in 1993.
The Village of Sauget also has a very tolerant attitude toward small business. Many strip clubs exist in this zone of free enterprise, with many St. Louis locals referring to the area as the "Sauget Ballet" due to the high number of such facilities.
Other businesses include a "hockey puck" (chemical pucks found in stand-up toilets) factory as well as several ethanol production facilities, and a large 24-hour convenience/liquor/lottery outlet.
Sauget has its own 16-member fire department and 16-member police department; this is despite having a population below 250 people. There is roughly one officer and firefighter for every 15 residents in Sauget.
Sauget is also home to minor league baseball: the Gateway Grizzlies
Gateway Grizzlies
The Gateway Grizzlies are a professional baseball team based in the St. Louis suburb of Sauget, Illinois, in the United States. The Grizzlies are a member of the West Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
of the Frontier League
Frontier League
The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...
, which are controlled by the Sauget family.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 249 people, 101 households, and 61 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 60.3 people per square mile (23.3/km²). There were 115 housing units at an average density of 27.8 per square mile (10.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 70.28% White, 27.71% African American, 1.20% Asian, 0.40% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.
There were 101 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 21.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 81.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $35,833, and the median income for a family was $41,875. Males had a median income of $40,833 versus $25,714 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $19,330. About 20.0% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 11.1% of those sixty five or over.
External links
- National Priorities List, Sauget Area 1
- Virtual Tour, Sauget
- Big River Zinc, Sauget
- Center Ethanol, Sauget
- Pop's Nightclub