An old man told me of his grandmother who owned a nice home near the top of the hills at the time of the earthquake. Throughout the quake, and the chaos and fires that followed she refused to leave. In time the authorities arrived to demolish all the houses with dynamite, in a desperate attempt to control the fires. Refusing to leave, she faced them down from her porch with a Winchester, and threatened to shoot anyone who attempted to damage her home. The authorities bypassed her and destroyed the houses on either side. She and her home survived the quake, the fires, and the civil authorities. The house is still standing and the family still has the Winchester.