When I went pass this old windmill earlier this month, it is still being restored so the blades are still off and the sliding is missing so it is not very picturesque as it was the prior year.
Old Windmill
Picture of the Day for February 21, 2023
This barn may have weathered a lot of storms, but it still looks like it can weather a few more and provide some shelter during the predicted snow storm.
Weathered Old Barn
Picture of the Day for December 16, 2021
Hopefully the brake was set on this old windmill otherwise with the strong winds yesterday, the windmill might have become airborne with the blades turning fast like an airplane propeller. This windmill was completed 1904 and was an active grinding mill until 1926.
Davidson Windmill
Picture of the Day for August 23, 2021
The wind was gusting this afternoon so if the brake wasn’t on this old windmill, it would have been pumping a lot of water but not enough to water the corn field. The first Aermotor windmill was sold in 1888 and there was widespread use of the distinctive wind pumps on ranches and farms throughout the United States.
Old Aermotor Windmill
Picture of the Day for June 22, 2020
Taking four years to build, Jacob Tapola Davidson, a Finnish immigrant, finished the wind-power gristmill in 1904, the octagonal shape inspired by his coffee pot. The grinding stones, which came from rock near Amnicon Falls, could grind 300 pounds of grain an hour. By using long poles attached to the green section, the grinding speed was controlled by rotating the mill’s upper section with its 17 foot long sails.
Davidson Windmill
Picture of the Day for January 21, 2019
The snow was blowing around during stronger gusts of winds today. Old windmills, like this one, will “furl” in high winds which prevent a turbine from spinning too quickly by turning the blades out of the wind. This Aermotor windmill uses an adjustable spring to select the speed point at which to furl the windmill out of the wind and to return the windmill into the wind as the wind speed decreases. It can be manually turned out of the wind also as this one might be.
Furled Windmill
Picture of the Day for September 2, 2017
In the past in rural America, the windmill could be seen on many farms to pump water. One brand frequently found in around this area was the Aermotor, which was produced in Chicago starting in 1888. The weekly maintenance was reduced to once a year when in 1915, the auto-oiled windmill included an enclosed gear case. The company was sold in 1958 and after several other company transfers, moves and name changes, the name was restored in 2006 to the original name that was established in 1888…The Aermotor Company, when the company was purchased by a private group of West Texas Ranchers.
The Aermotor
Picture of the Day for March 12, 2016
As winter has released its hold for a few days, one can examine the land for destruction caused by the harsh winter winds. I have noticed a lot of dead trees that have fallen this winter, some which are blocking my trails, and I’m sure there are a few less old wooden structures now too. And when they are gone, a piece of history vanishes too.
Reminders from the Past
Picture of the Day for January 27, 2016
The wind was blowing the snow around today, so it probably could have turned this old windmill which was built by a Finnish immigrant and homesteader, Jacob Davidson. It is one of a very few grist mills in the Midwest, and the only one in Wisconsin known to be of Finnish origin. The mill built in 1900, sitting on a bluff overlooking the Amnicon River, was used for milling local grains from 1904 to 1926. The windmill located near Lakeside, Wisconsin, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Davidson Windmill
Picture of the Day for April 5, 2014
Battered and worn, this windmill has seen many seasons and it looks as tired as I am that this winter won’t end.
Wind Battered
