Water and Wind Early Rangeland Partners

1. Water and WindEarly Rangeland Partners By Karl Wood, Director Water Resources Research Institute

2. Windmills: used in many parts of worldfor centuries, especially Europe Don Quixote 17th Century

3. First mill in United States? Jamestown, Virginia 1621

4. Hundreds of slow moving and cumbersome mills throughout the English, French, Danish, Swedish, German, Portuguese, and Spanish settlements These European derivativeswere not suitable for the western U.S.

5. Scientific American1860: “The great want of Texas is sufficient water…. There is a million dollars lying waiting for the first man who will bring us… a windmill, strong, durable and controllable.”

6. The grasslands of the arid and semi-arid West were grazable! Grazing by domestic livestock and wildlife was limited to areas near perennial streams due to a lack of drinking water.

7. A windmill was needed that would: 1. Automatically turn to face the wind 2. Govern it own speed to prevent its destruction 3. Require low maintenance • 4. Be portable compared to traditional windmills 5. Be transportable to rural areas This won’t do!

8. Daniel Halladay, a mechanic, in Ellington, Connecticut invented a machine that became known as “the Halladay Standard” Patented 1854 Blades could be turned parallel with the vane so that the wheel ceased turning.

9. Demand for this type of mill was not great in New England Makers moved to near Chicago in Batavia, Illinois in 1856 Railroads became important buyers as they expanded across the West.

10. Manufacturing floor in Batavia Plant

11. Reverend Leonard H. Wheeler, a missionary among the Ojibway Indians in Wisconsin made major modifications in 1866 • A solid pattern that did not fold • in any direction • Speed controlled by changing • angle to wind • Became one of most common • mills until early 20th Century • Sizes varied from 8.5 to 30 ft • in diameter Catered mostly to railroads

12. Many farmers and rancher chose to build their own mills Although cheap (<$5), most were made on affluent farms and ranches Most made by the farm or ranches’ resident blacksmiths with spare time and a scrap pile

13. Both steel and wooden mills manufactured from 1870 to 1940 Steel mills were more durable and self-oiling Wooden mills were easier to repair with nails, wire, & rawhide

14. Windmill Designs Many different designs, especially the blades Each manufacturer claimed theirs to be the best!

15. Windmill Designs A Scientific Approach Thomas O. Perry (Engineer) conducted studies from 1882-83 for the U.S. Wind Engine and Pump Company Tested more than 50 designs in over 5,000 experiments Developed a completely new wind wheel! - 87% more efficient than the wooden mills of the day

16. Windmill Designs A Scientific Approach 1. Concave sheet steel blades set on a specific angle to the wind 2. Blades fastened to steel rimes and arms which presented the least possible wind resistance 3. Retained sufficient strength His company rejected the new design because of retooling requirements! In 1888 he joined LaVerne Noyes to organize a company called Aermotor

17. Further Improvements 1. A gear box allowing 3 revolutions per stroke of the pump 2. Gearing allowed rotation with winds of 4 mph • Gearing gave the pump a long, • easy stroke instead of short, quick, • jerky strokes of other mills 4. 1890 - Galvanizing with zinc alloy became standard 5. 1915 – Included a housing needing oil only once a year

18. Sales • 48 mills • 2,288 • 6,268 • 20,049 • 1892 60,000

19. Manufacturers • 1888 77 companies • (Aermotor produced 50%) • 1919 31 companies • 1950 Aermotor claimed to have • manufactured over 800,000 • 1970 Aermotor moved to South America • 1973 2 companies

20. Well Drilling • Approaches: • Hand-dug pits • Hand boring with an augers - 25-30 ft • Sledge hammers to pound a pipe • Percussion type or cable-tool rigs

21. Maintenance and Repair Originally done by the owners After several hundred thousand sold in West, windmillers provided service • Windmillers: • Lubricated the mills • Repaired pumping cylinders • Repaired wind-damaged wheels and ironwork • Replaced bearings • Fished out and repaired broken sucker rods

22. Uses of Windmills Irrigation Railroads Homes Drain Swamps Livestock Lighthouses on the Plains Recreation Drain Mines

23. A windmill and watertower combo

24. The Tallest American Windmill? Claimed by the 132 ft high one on the XIT ranch at Littlefield, Texas (where its height was necessary due to being built within a canyon). It blew down in 1926, and the current "replica" in the town is a mere 114ft tall.

25. The magnificent and rare twin-wheel. Built in Hutchison, Kansas, it has two 12' wheels on a single tower.

26. A Fine Specimen From New Mexico

27. The most photographed windmill in southern New Mexico

28. Without this windmill, there would be no livestock or wildlife on this part of the Gray Ranch, New Mexico

29. Pumping water for residents of the Very Large Array near Magdalena, New Mexico

30. Today • Electric pumps common – not perfect solution - storm damage to transmission lines - low voltages - high utility rates • Gasoline engines – problems with frequent fueling and fuel costs • Windmills, parts, accessories, and repair are available on internet • Costs ~ $3,000 for a 6 ft diameter mill on a 21 ft tower to $15,000 for a 16 ft diameter mill on a 47 ft tower • Farmers, ranchers, and back-to-nature types still experiment with scrap metal and wood

31. Today • Aermotor San Angelo, Texas • Dempster Industries, Inc. Beatrice, Nebraska • Muller Industries, Inc. Yankton, South Dakota • KMP Pump Company Earth, Texas • The American West Windmill Company in Amarillo, Texas imports from Argentina • Second Wind Windmill Service in Ft. Worth, Texas imports from Mexico • O’Brock Windmill Distributors in North Benton , Ohio imports from South Africa

32. Final Remarks Scribbled on the outhouse wall of a one-room school in Cherry County, Nebraska: We like it in the sandhills, We like it very good, For the wind it pumps our water, And the cows they chop our wood

33. That’s all, folks!