Preserving Windmills from Iowa's Past

For more than 100 years the Aermotor Company has been manufacturing windmills which are used primarily for pumping water to livestock. These icons of farms and ranches can be seen all over the country especially here in the Midwest. This non-working specimen is located at the Vinton Railroad Depot in Vinton, Iowa. The sails on the wheel are chained in place as to restrict movement and to help prevent long-term damage. The tail shows at least two bullet holes which qualifies it as an authentic and time-tested Aermotor windmill.

How to Authenticate an Old Aermotor Windmill

Out here in the Midwest, Aermotor windmills can still be seen on many farms. Several farm windmills are not in running order anymore; some are kept for display, but a few can still pump water or generate electricity by utilizing wind. This Aermotor is part of the Vinton, Iowa train depot museum display, so it's likely to have been brought to town from a country location.

To authenticate this as an official, old time windmill just observe the fin. In this case you will notice two bullet holes - which oddly confirm the structure as an old windmill. Some people love to zero-in on the fins for target practice. Maybe it was a fad or something done out of sheer boredom. In any case the quarter-size portals provide a rustic look to the fin but corrupt the intended aerodynamic qualities.

Aermotor Windmill Still Stands Over Seminole Valley Farm

Seminole Valley Farm is a preserved farm site dating from 1900. The property is located along the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa near the Ushers Ferry Historic Village. Flood waters in 2008 severely damaged the site. Progress has been made to fully recover the structures and interior furnishings however the museum remains closed. Among the structures located on the grounds is this Aermotor windmill. I don't recall if the blades were spinning at the time of the photo but it is representative of the many same-aged windmills found throughout the state. Must have had a good marketing and advertising campaign along with a sales staff to populate the midwest with these iconic windmills. Also it didn't hurt that many windmills could be mail ordered through the Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogues and such.