The Hawley Grain Elevator Fire - Hawley, MN
Late in the evening on Sunday, February 25, 2024, the large grain elevator in Hawley Minnesota, was destroyed by fire. I woke up the following morning to a text from my mom, with a link to some of the local news outlets with recorded video of the fire. I was stunned. Just a few months earlier, Laura and I had driven up here and stayed in a Hawley motel. One of my intended purposes of this trip was to get pictures of that exact grain elevator. Which in my mind was the defining landmark of the town of Hawley. Back in November, I posted a story detailing the roadtrip Laura and I took from Crapids to Fargo, ND. I called it “ My Stupid Vacation ”, because instead of going someplace tropical or exotic, this was where I chose to go. Stopping at as many tourist traps and roadside attractions was we could find. Either way, you should probably read that before you read this. It will provide valuable background to this story. Don’t worry, I’ll wait… The whole point of that drive was to stop ...