The name Trogen refers to a number of fountains (Trögen) which is reflected in the coat of arms.

After the Appenzell Wars, the Rhode Trogen was created in 1429 which included the territories of the municipalities Oberegg as well as parts of Bühler and Gais.

From then on, Trogen's territory progressively shrunk as different municipalities within built their own churches within the Rhode and thus became independent.

Until 1658, the municipalities of Grub, Walzenhausen, Heiden, Wolfhalden and Lutzenberg had emerged from Trogen.

[3] From the 16th century until the Industrial Revolution, Trogen accumulated most of its wealth through the sales of weaved and embroidered fabrics.

[4] In the beginning of the 20th century, Trogen's main source of income was the textile industry, as 66% of its inhabitants were active in this sector.

At the same time, the village began to expand its sources of income by slowly developing its health and ski resort infrastructure, which also led to the foundation of the Strassenbahn St. Gallen–Speicher–Trogen in 1900 and the inauguration of the Trogenerbahn three years later.

Of the rest of the land, 8.6% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.8%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

Wald, Rehetobel) Several buildings in the village core, the Protestant church of 1782, the refectory with the cantonal library, the 1805 town hall and the two Zellweger palaces (Doppelpalast / Fünfeckpalast) are listed as heritage sites of national significance.

The wettest month is July during which time Trogen receives an average of 209 mm (8.2 in) of precipitation.

The driest month of the year is January with an average of 86 mm (3.4 in) of precipitation over 14.2 days.