Old Crab Orchard Refuge Visitor Center Comes Down as New Season Passes Go On Sale
A landmark disappears even as the refuge gears up for another year
By Verna Slate, Williamson County Bureau
CARTERVILLE, Ill. — The old visitor's center at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge has been demolished, WSIL-TV reports, closing the book on a building that greeted generations of hunters, anglers and bird-watchers at one of southern Illinois's most-used public lands.
A demolished visitor's center is a small chapter in the refuge's story, but it's the one people actually walk past.
Meanwhile the business of the refuge goes on: 2025-2026 Crab Orchard passes are now available, the Southern Illinoisan reports, for residents who fish, hunt or simply want access to the lake and grounds through the coming year.
No replacement structure has been announced. For now, the refuge's paperwork moves faster than its buildings.
— Compiled from reporting by WSIL-TV and the Southern Illinoisan.
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