62 Nebraskaland • November 2024
THE LAST STOP
This image from Fort Robinson State Park has a few things
people seem to like in a Nebraska photo: A blue sky with
contrasty clouds, the Red Cloud Buttes defying the state's
reputation for being fl at, and, of course, a windmill whirring
in a steady breeze. The windmill is one of four in the park
used to water its bison, longhorns, horses and whatever else
needs a drink.
As a nature photographer, I often point my camera away
from windmills, fences and other man-made structures.
Windmills, however, have become an endeared element of
our region's landscape, and this one seemed to be the only
nearby compelling foreground element when the light was
right.
Have they always been photo-worthy? I read an article
in a 1905 newspaper that panned the modern-at-the-time
windmill as compared to the big, elaborate brick and wood
structures with doors and windows that became popular on
the other side of the Atlantic Ocean centuries prior.
"While there are undoubtedly more windmills in the
United States than any other country in the world, they
are, all of them, very prosaic, very practical, and essentially
businesslike. For the picturesque windmill, we still have to go
to Europe," the author wrote.
The article described the aesthetics of windmills dating
back to the 11th century in Europe, where their multiple uses
included grinding corn to fl our. They've had varied purposes
in the U.S., too, but one has prevailed.
"So far as modern windmills are concerned they are entirely
used to pump water, and while they add nothing that makes
for beauty on the landscape, they have been responsible for
making a garden out of the desert spots in this country,"
said the 1905 article. "While the picturesque old windmills
in old England are fast disappearing, the new style windmill
becomes more and more numerous here, in spite of the fact
that this is the age of electricity and the times are those in
which stupendous tasks are lightly undertaken."
What would the author think of today's solar-powered
wells and wind turbines that generate electricity? Perhaps,
they too, will someday provide nostalgic fodder for scenic
photos. I'm betting some of you might doubt it.
This windmill is one of four at Fort Robinson State Park. JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
By Justin Haag
THE WINDMILL: FROM PROSAIC TO PRETTY
