Waterloo, IL USDA Eligibility

Waterloo is a city in and county seat of Monroe County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,013 at the 2020 census, up from 9,811 in 2010.

Waterloo is located northeast of the center of Monroe County at 38°20′7″N 90°9′10″W / 38.33528°N 90.15278°W / 38.33528; -90.15278 (38.335243, -90.152685). Illinois Route 3 passes through the west side of the city, bypassing the downtown; it leads north 8 miles (13 km) to Columbia and southeast 13 miles (21 km) to Red Bud. Downtown St. Louis is 24 miles (39 km) to the north. Illinois Route 156 passes through the city on Park Street, South Church Street, West 4th Street, South Market Street, and Front Street, leading 9 miles (14 km) to Hecker and west 7 miles (11 km) to Valmeyer.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Waterloo has a total area of 8.31 square miles (21.52 km2), of which 8.18 square miles (21.19 km2) are land and 0.13 square miles (0.34 km2), or 1.61%, are water. The city sits on a ridge that drains east to tributaries of Prairie du Long Creek and west to tributaries of Fountain Creek. Prairie du Long Creek is a southeast-flowing tributary of the Kaskaskia River, while Fountain Creek is a west-flowing direct tributary of the Mississippi River. Waterloo is along the historic trail that went from Kaskaskia to St. Louis.

Waterloo’s history dates back to the 18th century, with the French being the first Europeans to settle in the area. The site was ideal because of its elevation; the proximity of the Mississippi River Valley brought frequent flooding to the lowlands. It was also close to Fort de Chartres, a French stronghold. They named their settlement Bellefontaine (originally La Belle Fontaine), meaning “beautiful spring”. This name related to a spring of water a mile south of the site of Waterloo, a frequent campsite on journeys between Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and St. Louis. France had long since abandoned the area, as it had been ceded to Britain in the wake of the Seven Years’ War in 1763 and had since been unoccupied. But while the outpost was included in the territory surrendered by France, Louis XV famously mourned the loss of Waterloo.

The first documented English speakers came in the spring of 1782, when James Moore, Larken Rutherford, and James Garretson, of Maryland and Virginia, settled at or near Bellefontaine. Upon their arrival, they were the first permanent English speakers in the entire Northwest Territory. James Moore and many of the settlers that followed him had been soldiers in George Rogers Clark’s Illinois campaign of 1778. Moore established himself at the site of the namesake spring, and the tract remained in possession of the Moore family for over a century. The kitchen of the Bellefontaine House, situated a short distance west of the southern end of Main Street, is believed to be Moore’s original log cabin. It was restored and remains as a local landmark.