11/17/08

My World Tuesday

Shattuck Windmill Museum & Park was established in 1994 and dedicated in May 1996, with a gathering of old windmillers and community volunteers. It is situated in north-west Oklahoma and is very much a local landmark.

As of November 2008, 52 windmills stand in the park, with no two alike and ranging from a little 5ft. Star Zephyr to the big 18 ft. Samson and Railroad Eclipse. Some of the mills are open-geared, some have solid or folding wood wheels, many are unusual steel mills.

But all have lifted water from beneath the earth to provide for a homesteader's garden or a rancher's cattle. Each one has it's own story and a book can be found in the little authentic Mercantile Store, containing the history of each one.

The focus of the park is not only the windmills, but also shows how homesteaders lived when they first came to this area, and why the windmill was so important.

Included in the Park is a small half-dugout soddy (sod-house) which was moved from 7 miles south-west of town. It was reconstructed to give a glimpse of how many of the early settlers lived. All year round visitors are encouraged to record the temperature in the soddy in a logbook. It is fascinating to see how the temperature holds relatively steady inside, whatever the weather outside!

In 1997 the one-and-a-half storey homestead house was moved into the Park. The restored home typifies the frame structure that an early family would have built, once they had moved up from their "soddy". A local family raised their four children in this particular homestead. The home consisted of a lean-to, living-dining room and the parent's bedroom. Up the very narrow staircase was a large open attic, where the children would sleep.

The gates of Windmill Park are made of Oklahoma red granite, are seven feet tall and depict two of the earliest windmills. They anchor a brick wall showing the names of many of the local homesteaders, ranchers and merchants, and the date of their arrival. It is facinating to read these names and recognise the grandparents and parents of local people I know now.

To join in go to My World Tuesday

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting stuff Sarah. Real people history right there where you live.

This My World Tuesday is such a great idea as we get to look into the worlds of our blogger friends around the world and learn a little too.

Leslie: said...

What a fascinating place! I'd love to see those windmills in person! Great post today. Thanks for sharing. :D

antigoni said...

Great post!

DJ Kirkby said...

Ah, I just left a comment about this over on your wonderful photoblog.

Snippety Gibbet said...

That was fascinating. I love that level of American history; the part about how the common man made it.

Louise said...

How interesting! Wonderful pictures and commentary. Excellent My World post!

Anonymous said...

That is way cool! Got wind? ;)
Great post!
Cheers, Klaus

AphotoAday said...

That is SO cool... Kind of far away, but it's a place I'd really like to visit... Fabulous collection...

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Sarah: What a neat look at the museum.

Pam said...

It is a special place indeed and we had special friends show us around there.

Sandi McBride said...

They're beautiful. I love windmills and you've captured their spirit beautifully!
Sandi

Kelly said...

Sarah, Great post! I haven't heard of it and I've lived in OKC for 30 some years! Looks like a great place and I'll definitely have to check it out! Great post!

I have a present for you on my blog!

SaraG said...

Isn't that the coolest!! I just love windmills, don't see them very often and would love to go to a place like that!! Great great photo's
Thanks so much for sharing this with us.
Take care.

Indrani said...

Interesting info and so many windmills together in one place, I would have simply stared.

Janet said...

That sounds like an interesting place to visit. Great photos.

Anonymous said...

beautiful tour. very interesting. it is nice to know windmills have their own museum. btw, are these from all parts of the country?

The Good Life in Virginia said...

a great post and oh so interesting to learn a little bit of the history of the area...

thanks for sharing with us.

Daryl said...

This is really neat .. excellent photos Sarah .. thanks for sharing


:-Daryl

david mcmahon said...

Now THAT is definitely my kind of place!

Jane Hards Photography said...

You certainly arne't in the UK anymore. These are sureal images, just so many of them. Fascinating place.

Gaelyn said...

What an artistic assortment of windmills. We could learn from this history to make power from the wind. Nice tour and images.

Anonymous said...

We have a wind farm five miles off shore, on a clear day it looks as if I could swim out to them, other days they seem to float on the horizon. Sadly my camera's zoom doesn't help.

I love windmills, yours are very interesting, telling a history of your region.

Sandi McBride said...

Congrats on Post of the Day mention, Sarah!
Sandi

Hilary said...

Very cool indeed. Breezed over from David's.

Janet said...

That's one of the most interesting posts you've EVER done, Sarah! I didn't know such a place existed!

I've always loved windmills. Imagine my surprise when I saw one just off the A4260, north of Oxford, on a farm owned by one of the Oxford University colleges! I felt like it was an omen that I should live nearby.

Kay said...

This is so great! I love seeing all those windmills! I wish we could have some here because we sure do get a lot of wind. It seems a waste not to harness it.