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.

An Oldtime Windy Day in Ioway

The windmill at the Old Bradford Pioneer Village in Nashua, Iowa responded to the nearly constant winds on Sunday. For extra credit count the number of bullet holes in the tail and blades. I've never seen an authentic farm windmill like this one without target practice evidence. How about you?

Sunset Near Keystone, Iowa

Two days ago the three day old snow cover made for interesting photography near 42N's Keystone, Iowa. On December 28th within 30 minutes of local sunset the sky conditions changed so much between sun angle and cloud cover as evident in these 42N team photos of farmland. This particular area of the country is largely used for grain production and livestock feedlots. Many farmhouses and barns can be dated to the beginning of the last century. Silos at these farms often date to the mid-1900s. Windmills like those seen in the last photo are quickly fading from the landscape after years of neglect following rural electrification in the late 1940s which made water pumping easier than wind powered pumping. Know that.