Before becoming an oil-producing region, Sanga-Sanga was home to traditional fishers, famous for its fishes, copra, and other spices. On 19 October 1850, the
Sultanate of Kutai Kertanegara under Aji Muhammad Sulaiman's rule gave concession to the Dutch, therefore allowing them to conduct research and exploration throughout the region. In 1888, oil was successfully discovered in Sanga-Sanga by a Dutch mining expert J.H. Menten along with his team. The concessions were named
Louise () and
Mathilde (, also locally nicknamed as
sumur Noni after a lady who fell victim while digging), and both were also given to the respective oil wells. Oil first sprayed at Mathilde on 20 February 1897, giving new hopes for the recovery of Dutch bankruptcy. That date has also been regarded as the anniversary of Sanga-Sanga. During its height, there were 613 wells which produced around 70,000 ton of oil a month, as well as 7 docks or bridges. New immigrants, especially males, also came to work in Sanga-Sanga, including Javanese, Buginese, Banjarese, Madurese, Manado, and foreign groups such as Arabs, Chinese, and Indians. They also later married with locals of Sanga-Sanga. Sanga-Sanga is the site of several battles. The most notable one, known as the Red-and-White Incident, occurred on 27 January 1947 against the
NICA, during the
Indonesian National Revolution. It eventually became the Commemoration of the Red-and-White, held annually on that date. From 24 April 1969 until 21 October 1987, along with
Muara Jawa and
Samboja, Sanga-Sanga belonged to
Samarinda, until these districts were returned to Kutai that date. The village of Bantuas, however, still remained within Samarinda, but transferred to
Palaran. == Governance ==