From Years Gone By ...

Archeological records tell us that well over 300 years ago many Native Americans inhabited the area where the Cities of Crestwood and Sunset Hills now stand. This territory remained occupied by Native Americans until France took possession of it in 1682 as part of the French Territory of Louisiana.

One of the earliest known land owners and settlers in the Crestwood area was John Sappington who was born in 1753 and who moved to this area sometime around 1804 or 1805. Through the years that followed, many renowned settlers and families called this area home. Many famous families settled in this area from that point on, and in 1947 a group of concerned citizens petitioned the court to incorporate Crestwood as a Village. Then just two years later, an election was held that declared the village a fourth-class city; the city still holds this status today.

The City of Sunset Hills officially began ten years after that of Crestwood, and like Crestwood has a rich Native American heritage. Records dating back to the late 1700s confirm tribes settled in this area because of the two major salt springs found here. Judge Joseph Sale farmed land in what is now Sunset Hills all through the 1800s and he tells of finding teeth, bones, potsherds, and flint artifacts. In 1957 the City of Sunset Hills was incorporated as a fourth-class city by St. Louis County and held its first election in 1958.