It’s hard to go anywhere without seeing windmills reaching up into the breezes across America. Wind power. We often think of this as a new source of energy. The power of wind, of course, has been used for millennia. Long before the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria set sail for the new world, sailors had been employing the wind to move their vessels. Today’s windmills, however, are moving big blades that convert the power of wind into the power of electricity.
I enjoy seeing the new windmills and often stop to photograph them. For my photographic tastes, however, I prefer to see the old windmills that still keep their lonely watch over the farm fields across the country. So, you can imagine my reaction when, while driving down Highway 23 north of the town of Jasper, Minnesota, I spotted a field full of windmills! After turning around and heading down some gravel roads, I finally came upon a wonderful windmill collection.
Pulling off the road, I roamed around admiring and photographing dozens of windmills. I didn’t see anyone to talk to and there were no signs so I wasn’t sure if this was a private collection or some kind of museum. Later I read that this collection is owned by Terry Rodman and consists of over 30 windmills from the US and other countries. In addition to many windmills of typical design, there was a windmill with two huge vanes, and an unusual design where a big octagonal wheel had slats attached perpendicular to all eight sides (you can see it in photo #3 above).
If you’re ever in southwestern Minnesota, you just might want to visit the windmills of Jasper.