Fire has come to Winona more than once.

The two old walnut trees have stood here since the town began. They watched every fire, and they're still here, watching over our vineyard.

1907. The depot blows up.

A fire under the depot platform set off 650 pounds of dynamite in the coal shed. It killed railroad inspector Roscoe E. Buchanan, hurt at least 20, and flattened the depot, the section house and the wooden hotel.

1914. The row along the tracks goes in two hours.

Three warehouses, the grain elevator, the lumber yard, the railroad coal chutes and several cars burned. About $65,000 in damage. The town had no water system to fight it.

1916. The coal dock burns, and the railroad leaves.

Fire took the rebuilt coal dock. Coaling moved to LaCrosse.

1917. A 40 mph wind, and a fire someone set.

It started behind Ayler's blacksmith shop in the west end of the business district. In that gale it nearly took the whole town.

1918. The flour mill burns for good.

The mill was already shut for lack of water. It burned and was never rebuilt.

1928. Twelve homes, two sides of the river.

Nine homes burned west of the river, then a small cyclone pushed the fire across into 3 more. Twelve in all. The Baptist church was spared.

The trestle, 2023.

Wood burned in '23. Steel and concrete now.

2023. Our fire.

The Winona Fire burned 2,525 acres, the railroad trestle, the old 1890 church, our outbuildings and about a third of our 1917 house. The two old walnut trees made it.

It's the law, and common sense.