This was the scene after the DNR Bulldozer had done its dirty work. The Fanhouse had stood since 1913. It had survived after the 1950s when the CGW converted to diesel-electric Locomotives and closed the facility. The Fan and nozzle were removed and the building stripped bare, but it still stood. It even out lasted the Chicago Great Western Railroad, after it merged with the Chicago & North Western Railroad. It stood to see the last train come and go forever on October 31, 1971. The end of the line was less than a year away when the road from Galena Junction to Byron, Illinois was abandoned in torn up for scrap. But Still the Fanhouse held firm. Then on a cold morning in early 2007 the distant sounds of Machinery would draw nearer and nearer until finally the time had come and the 2 story brick and cinder block building was torn down.
As you can see all that remains is a large pile of bricks and debris.
Was the IDNR justified in tearing down the building? Was she really a hazard to visitors? Or had they just destroyed what the people were coming to see?