SIMPSON, Ill. (AP) — Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois has temporarily closed a popular lookout tower.
There’s a large hole in the fence around the platform. The Forest Service plans to fix it as soon as possible. Trigg Lookout Tower is near Simpson in Johnson County. It’s a popular spot, especially to see sunsets and leaves changing colors in fall.
The tower is the last remaining fire tower among 16 that were built between 1934 and 1939.
It’s no longer a fire tower but remains open for visitors. The tower is named for L.O. Trigg, a newspaper publisher who had encouraged the government to establish the national forest in the 1930s.
