How Do Old-Fashioned Windmills Work?
Reading Time: 5 minutes
How do windmills work? Discover the history of old-fashioned windmills and how they shaped wind power in America.
by Gina Stack
On the crest of a hill near my home is an old barn with a tall, old windmill next to it. A paddock with a pasture is below with horses grazing around it. I love this scene each time I drive by, with the windmill wheel against the sky, sometimes facing me, either going around or not. Other times, it’s facing another way with the wind flow, still doing the job it was made to do, even though the water column is disconnected. But the well underneath is still there. I believe it’s an Eclipse windmill, manufactured in Beloit, Wisconsin, less than two hours away.
The front of the farmhouse was originally the area post office where folks stopped by and let the horses drink from the cement trough full of water the windmill had pumped. It was the hangout place up to the early 1900s. The old road leading to the water is still visible. The cement trough is now empty and overgrown with brush. The scene is the same, but what happened to this precious water lifeline?
The windmill business prospered until the Rural Electrification Act (REA) in 1936. This made federal loans available to install electrical systems in rural areas without electricity. Electric pumps were then available that could pump 20 to 30 gallons per minute, decreasing the need for windmills. Further disuse was caused by the dismantling of many of them for the World War II efforts, with the need for metal. But thankfully, not all! By 1959, 90 percent of farms had electricity, compared to 3 percent in the 1930s.
Windmill History in America
In 1841, the Reverend Leonard H. Wheeler and his wife, Harriet, came as missionaries to the Ojibwe (or Chippewa) at LaPointe, Wisconsin, on Madeline Island on the South Shore of Lake Superior.
Wanting to help the Ojibwe become self-sustaining due to the declining fur trade, he set up a home and mission on the mainland, naming it Odanah, the Ojibwe word for village, as the island wasn’t suitable for farming. He built his first windmill there to pump water from a ravine to his home, improving it over two decades, unknown to the modern engineering world. Eventually, it was used for farming and grinding corn.
He did many things to benefit the Ojibwe. Because of his hard work to protect them, they still have a substantial population in the same area.
In 1866, while in Odanah, he began to perfect his invention. He had broken his wrist and was unable to do regular work so he had time to work on a basic design using his good hand. At the same time, his son William came home, injured with a broken leg. Together, hobbling about, they put together a sample windmill. They had it working by April until high winds blew it to pieces. While no doubt praying all along for wisdom, Leonard and William set to work on inventing a mill that could self-regulate its speed in forceful winds.
How Do Windmills Work?
It was extremely important for the windmill to be self-governing, meaning the wheel automatically rotated with decent shifts in the wind. To prevent being blown apart in high winds, the turning blades were controlled by a side vane, which moved the wheel away from the force of the wind. It would turn back when the wind died down.
This foundational invention is still the most frequent form of governing used in today’s windmills. There may be some minor modifications, but the idea is the same.
Later that year, being in bad health, Leonard and Harriet gave up their missionary work and moved to Beloit, Wisconsin, where their son William had gone to school. In early 1867, a relative urged Leonard to get a patent on his device. For two months, he worked on a model. He could work for only a short time each day, but he wanted something to support his family at the end of his life. He had written to his father during this time, letting him know that he wanted the machine to be affordable. In September, he received his patent.
The firm L. H. Wheeler and Son was born and commenced producing the mill in Beloit that same year. The windmill was exhibited at the Madison State Fair. The business began to grow after a few bumps. Leonard died in 1872, sadly before his windmill really took off. In 1873, the company was renamed the Eclipse Windmill Co., with his son as a partner.
At the Centennial International Exhibit (the first World’s Fair), it stood through two large storms. It was the only windmill that had no damage and needed no repair.
It continued to be manufactured into the 1890s through Fairbanks Morse & Co. in Beloit, and was the most common American windmill in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The windmills sold worldwide, and were one of the top two brands in the U.S.
In 1901, when the Eclipse patent rights became public domain, windmills identical to the Eclipse were made with just a few modifications.
In 1882, Thomas Perry perfected an efficient steel wind wheel and, together with LaVerne Noyes, developed Aermotor windmills with basically the same governing feature. These were more affordable to construct than those made of wood, and by the middle of the 1900s, they had 800,000 providing water.
Sourcing Old-Fashioned Windmills
They’re known worldwide today and are manufactured in Texas at the Aermotor Windmill Co.
Another place to get a windmill is through Kevin Moore of Rock Ridge Windmills in Cloverdale, California. He has a wealth of knowledge and has been dedicated to saving and restoring windmills for many years. Kevin says, “Water-pumping windmills haven’t died; people are searching for solutions, so they’re experiencing a renaissance.” Also, “Don’t try to rescue a tired one,” and regarding the windmill, “Instructions about 90 years ago would still apply today.”
When you’re out and about, look around and see if you can spot what remains of the windmills. Maybe you’ll notice new ones popping up or get one for yourself!
Sources
- Wikipedia — REA.
- Windmills and Pumps of the Southwest by Dick Hayes and Bill Allen.
- Water Pumping Windmills in Backwoods Home Magazine Issue 90 by Dorothy Ainsworth.
- Ferminews Vol. 26 by Elizabeth Clements – Historic Turns in the Windmill City.
- A Field Guide to American Windmills by T. Lindsay Baker.
- Wikipedia — Eclipse Windmill.
- The Pantagraph, 2-26-17, by Bill Kemp – Water Pumping Windmills forerunner to Wind Turbines.
- Vintagemachinery.org – Eclipse Windmill Co.
- Home Power Magazine, Dec 2007 and Jan 2008, by Kevin Moore – Pumping Water with the Wind.
- Ryan Schnur, Jan 15, 2018 – The Iconic Windmills that Made the American West.
Gina Stack is a freelance writer in southwest Wisconsin. She, along with her husband and son, reside on five acres with 22 laying hens (some as old as 10 years!), a large vegetable garden, perennials, and Lily the pug.
Originally published in the May/June 2025 issue of Countryside and Small Stock Journal and regularly vetted for accuracy.
