Tag: Windmill

The Hereford cow is probably wishing it was a sunny, warm fall day, surrounded by yellow and red leaves, instead of damp, grey day like today.

Sometimes it is easy to overlook how tall some of the old mills were until you see a person or critter near one, but at least the Aermotor had a tilting tower so that the owners didn’t have to climb the tower every few days to oil the gearbox. The tilting tower models disappeared once the enclosed gearboxes were invented and only needed oiling once a year (and hopefully not on a winter day).

Hereford Grazing Beneath a Windmill

Picture of the Day for November 5, 2012

November 5, 2012

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In my back road wanderings, I’m always on the lookout for interesting scenic things and old things like wooden barns, old silos and windmills and every once in a while, you might find all three close together. And I’m sure all three would have interesting tales to tell of the past.

Triple Rustic View

Picture of the Day for October 3, 2012

October 3, 2012

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A slowly turning windmill, colored leaves gently rustling in the wind and birds chirping in the trees made a soothing, tranquil scene to enjoy the sun’s warm rays.

Autumn Windmill

Picture of the Day for August 26, 2012

August 26, 2012

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Since I started the “old” week on Monday with a windmill, it probably is fitting to end the 7th day of the “old” week with a windmill. And this windmill definitely has seen better days and it is too worn out for me to identify the brand, although the brace wires are a different configuration than the Aermotor that I posted on Monday so it probably one from the hundreds different manufacturers.

A Field Guide To American Windmills by T. Lindsay Baker has identified some 1500 manufacturers of windmills so it probably will be hard for me to identify which manufacturer when there are over 50 manufacturers in my state without seeing a name. And the models of the windmills had interesting names too; some just had manufacturer name but other incorporated their function in the name such as Althouse, Chief, Milo Giant, Steel Chief, Steel Giant, Waupan Vaneless, Monitor Steel Power, Horicon, King, Ozark, Reliance, Eclipse, Double Power, Sheboygan, Duplex Geared, Kilbourn Steel, The Dandy, Everlasting, Favorite, Boss Vaneless, Champion Power, Sandwich-Perkins, Fouk’s Accelerating Air Motor, Parson’s Colorado Wind Engine, The Iron Screw, and Aquarius the Water Bearer.

But whatever the brand or name, the windmill served its purpose in the past, providing needed water for farming. They say that barbed wire and windmills were the two inventions that made it possible to develop the American West.

I hope everyone enjoyed the “old” week theme and will have to see when the “old” stuff returns again.

Worn Out Windmill

Picture of the Day for August 20, 2012

August 20, 2012

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There are less of the old style windmills gracing the landscape around my area. Some that I used to take pictures of are now gone, but most in my area were the Aermotor windmill, with the name proudly stamped on the tail. I didn’t realize Aermotor Windmill has continuously manufactured windmills since 1888 and is the only windmill manufacturer still left in the USA.

The Aermotor only sold dozen windmills the first year and was called mockingly by competitors as the new “mathematical” windmill. But the new “mathematical” windmill incorporated principles learned from previous experiments and had great lifting power due to the back gearing which allowed the wheel to make about 3 revolutions for each stroke.

By 1892, Aermotor sold 20,000 windmills and the “mathematical” windmill’s image had changed from a joke to a true necessity and was on its way to becoming the dominant windmill dotting the landscape.

Mass production helped lower the price and enclosed gear case introduced in 1915 reduced maintenance to once a year instead of weekly.

Aermotor’s founder, La Verne Noyes, donated nearly two and one half million dollars in 1918 to establish scholarships at many colleges and universities for veterans of the World War. These scholarships are still available today.

After Noyes died in 1919, the company was left to a trust and over the years, was acquired by different companies and moving the manufacturing site to different states, until it settled in San Angelo, Texas in 1986..

I know this windmill is older than I am since it still has Chicago stamped on the tail by the name, but even if it’s old, I love looking at them since I love old, rustic things (except when it is my old, creaky body).

Aermotor Windmill