Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is a ten thousand two hundred acre protected landscape in Alexander County, southern Illinois, built around Horseshoe Lake and its flat terrain of wetlands, forests, open water, and shallow sloughs. Established in April nineteen twenty-seven with forty-nine acres bought as a Canada goose sanctuary, it grew into a major reserve still closely linked to migratory waterfowl and wetland conservation. Its habitats include southern hardwood forest, bald cypress, tupelo gum, and rich aquatic vegetation, and two large sections are protected as Illinois Nature Preserves. The area also supports diverse wildlife, hunting, camping, picnicking, scientific study, and other outdoor recreation.