July 31, 1895: Tonyawatha Spring Hotel on Lake Monona burned down on July 31, 1895. The hotel was located in what is present day Monona, and opened on July 9, 1879. During the first years of the resort, business was quite successful with many of the guests visiting from the southern U.S., especially New Orleans. A steamboat would take guests to and from Madison across the lake each hour. The resort fell onto hard times and never regained the success of its early years.