Historical Perspective

Before the development of the first self-governing windmill, settlement of the upland areas of the American West was almost impossible. Windmills were needed to pump underground water to the surface. As soon as their design and manufacture had been perfected, the mills became the prominent feature of the American landscape, not only in the western two-thirds of the nation but also in the East and particularly in  the Midwest. Besides supplying the needs of farmers and ranchers windmills performed such tasks as pumping water to the roofs of New York tenements, cleaning out mine shafts and ships' bilges, and providing water for the boilers of locomotives.  Indeed, without this machine life in this country and the occupancy of the plains and praries might very well have taken a radically different form.

During the first two decades of American windmill manufacture, all the mills were wooden. Their wheels and vanes were made from wood with some iron and steel parts to hold them together and to form the working parts of their heads. By the 1870's a new style mill made from iron and steel began appearing, although another two decades passed before substantial numbers of all metal mills came into general production.

The shift from wood to metal in windmill construction was by no means accepted by all customers or manufacturers. Steel mills had an early reputation, which in many instances was deserved, for being weak and difficult to repair. Farmers and ranchers accustomed to reparing their woooden windmills with nails, bolts and rawhide faced unexpected difficulties in fixing the new metal machines, especially when wind damaged.

Many conservative manufactureres also were reluctant to accept what they considered to be the "steel mill craze". Some went as far as to advertise their preference by stating "If a severe storm damages a wood mill, usually it can be repaired easily at a small expense. The steel mill after a storm is usually bent and broken so badly that the repairs and time lost in fixing nearly equals a new mill".

Thus the argument went on, but in time the economy, improved design and efficiency of the steel windmills won. Even though this gradual acceptance of steel windmills in the late 1880's and 1890's had a dramatic and lasting impact on the industry, significant improvements were still needed in windmill design. The greatest complaint against the steel miils had become their need for regular lubrication. Although the use of graphite, bronze and other bearing material had reduced the frequency of the dreaded chore atop the towers, the climb still had to be made with regularity.

Manufacturers attempted a number of different style solutions to solve the lubrication problem. Tilting towers and a varitey of different style windmill oilers were introduced before the industry settled on what became the most important single innovation in windmill design and longevity.... the Self-Oiling Windmill. 

Today many of these self-oiling mills, built as early as 1912, dot the rural countryside as reminders of a simplier day and time. They have become the favorites of novice and knowlegable collectors as they remain  an afforadable and decorative connection to our past.

Windmill-Parts.com is dedicated to the restoration of these important pieces of American heritage. We are committed to the preservation of vintage windmills through sales of restored or "as-is" mills, and salvage original factory parts, all at affordable prices. We also offer consignment sales services for those who have restored or good condition windmills to sell but have limited resources available to them to maximize their value potential. Many of our website pages have been created for educational purposes.

Probable Steel Star open back-geared steel windmill manufactured by Flint & Walling Manufacturing Co., Kendallville, IN., circa 1910.