Custom Windmills
De Immigrant
The Immigrant
10th Avenue and 1st Street
Fulton, IL 61252
Status
Open and operational
Tours
Tours are available during open hours. No admission fee is required, but a donation is suggested. Visit the mill's gift shop at the street-level entrance.
Hours
May
Saturday: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Sunday: 1:00 to 5:00 P.M.
June through August
Weekdays: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00P.M.
Saturday: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Sunday: 1:00 to 5:00 P.M.
September
Weekdays: 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
Saturday: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Sunday: 1:00 to 5:00 P.M.
October
Saturday: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Sunday: 1:00 to 5:00 P.M.
Closed / non-operational during winter.
Wheelchair Accessible
Ground and stage levels
Websites
De Immigrant information
De Immigrant
construction
Tower Height
45' - 11"
Sail Span
72'
Uses
(2001 - present) Wheat
(2001 - present) Buckwheat
(2001 -
present) Rye
(2001 - present) Corn
Constructed
(1999 - 2001)
Millwrights
Molema Millbuilders
Havenga Construction
Willett and Hofmann Engineers
Owners
City of Fulton (2001 - present)
Honors
2001: Governor's Hometown Award
2001: Engineering Accomplishment to Willett and Hofmann
De Immigrant, located on a levee along the Mississippi River,
ready to grind in summer 2009.
Photo by Tom Haskell
History
To celebrate its strong Dutch heritage, the City of Fulton dedicated a
parcel of land on a flood-control dike along the Mississippi river for
the new construction of an authentic Dutch smock windmill. To
ensure authenticity, it was decided that the mill would be built in the
Netherlands by native millwrights. A contract was signed on
December 4, 1998 in the Netherlands to employ Lowlands Management,
Molema Millbuilders, and Havenga Construction to build the mill in
sections at a time and have the parts shipped to Fulton for final
assembly. Construction began the following January after the
arrival of thirty metric tons of bilinga wood to Molema.
Once the different parts were carved and fitted, they were sent (first
by boat, then by rail and truck) to Fulton, where the windmill was built
in phases. To ensure accuracy in its reconstruction, Roman
numerals were carved into the main cant posts and in all of the fitting
floor joists and cross beams. The octagonal tower was shipped and
built first; it was also built separately from the base, cap, and
machinery. Once the foundation was poured and the cap arrived, the
three parts were put together at once in “The Big Lift” on November 19,
1999. A crane was used to lift the tower onto the base, lift the
cap onto the tower, and then to install the sails into the cast-iron
wind shaft.
The next few years of construction were dedicated to phase II of the
process which included the gear work, mill stones, brick work, and
landscaping. On May 5, 2001, the fully functional De Immigrant was
brought into service with a dedication ceremony, and the mill has been
grinding ever since.
The windmill itself does closely resemble the construction and methods
used by German immigrants 150 years ago. Unlike the
stellingmolens, or stage mills, across the rest of the state, this mill
is much more traditional to Holland in that it is a beltmolen, a
windmill built into a hill or dike. The mill’s external
architecture and colors better reflect mills still operating overseas.
The windmill is very modern, with an iron wind shaft, metal sail stocks,
iron quants, a brick façade (using bricks from two 100-year-old
buildings in Holland), and a concrete foundation.
Because this windmill was built more for show than for milling, space
was compromised. There is only one run-of-stone in this mill,
although it does grind a variety of grain. The milling is done on
a platform a few steps up from the reefing floor. A stone crane is
present and can be used to clean and redress the stones if necessary.
A bolting machine is also on this floor; the ground product is sacked
and then hoisted and poured into the sifter, which then needs to be
hand-cranked (as opposed to a larger bolting machine below the grinding
floor, with a wind-powered sifter to make this process automatic).
As modern as the mill may be, traditional methods are still used in its
operation: hog lard is used to lubricate metal parts; sheep lard for the
dead curb; and beeswax for the gears’ teeth. The sails must also
be grounded when not in use, or they could attract a lightning strike.
The bilinga wood used is among the finest in the world. It is one
of the only woods that is durable, does not easily decay, does not
attract insects, and is less susceptible to fire. Bilinga trees
grow tall before sprouting branches, which means that very few, if any,
knots or imperfections exist in the wood.
The windmill operates on a near daily basis, largely with the help of
volunteer millers who are always on duty. Flags representing the
provinces of Holland fly at each corner of the stage rail. Even
though this mill may not be as old as the other four, it is nonetheless
historic in that an entire town dedicated itself to the task of raising
the funds and effort to fabricate, erect, and maintain a Dutch windmill
for generations to come.
In 2009 construction continued on a new museum—the Windmill Cultural
Center—just across the street, which would contain all sorts of Dutch
artifacts, town history, and 21 scale models representing windmills from
all across Europe over time. The WCC was formally dedicated in
April 2010. In addition to the exhibits, tours of both the WCC and
of the windmill are available. In June 2010, De Immigrant and the
WCC were both featured on WGN-TV’s “Cruisin’
Illinois” segment with reporter Julian Crews; the segment also
covered sights in nearby Oregon, IL.
Sources
-City of Fulton
-De
Immigrant Construction blog
-Pamphlet published by the City of Fulton
-personal observations
-Volunteer Millers of De Immigrant
Images
Photo facing west (2001) by City of Fulton
Photo facing east (2001) by City of Fulton
Photo of the commemorative
plaque (2009) by Tom Haskell
Photo of the mill entrance from 10th and 1st (2009) by Tom Haskell
Photo of the tail pole and bracing in the back of the mill (2009) by
Tom Haskell
Photo looking northwest (2009)
by Tom Haskell
Photo of the mill, looking north, from the bike trail access point
(2009) by Tom Haskell
Photo of the mill from the bike trail on the flood levee (2009) by
Tom Haskell
Photo of the great spur wheel from the upper floor (2009) by Tom
Haskell
Photo of the friction wheel, used to hoist sacks of grain (2009) by
Tom Haskell
Photo of the spur wheel and stone nut (2009) by Tom Haskell
Photo of the iron wind shaft passing through the brake wheel (2009)
by Tom Haskell
Photo of the brake wheel connecting teeth with the wallower (2009)
by Tom Haskell
Photo of the mill in motion (2009) by Tom Haskell
Photo of the mill detailing the cap, sheers, and sails
Windmill Cultural Center
Dedicated in April 2010, the Windmill Cultural Center (WCC) sits across the
street from De Immigrant. It is the first museum of its kind in
Illinois, featuring twenty-one model windmills and Dutch artifacts.
The center hosts many events and programs celebrating Dutch heritage
and, when possible, bridging connections between Fulton, Illinois and
world culture. Visit the WCC website or their Facebook account for
more information.
Photo of the smaller windmill models during WCC construction (2009)
by Tom Haskell
Photo of the large-scale models during WCC construction (2009) by Tom
Haskell
Photo of more smaller-scale windmills during WCC construction (2009)
by Tom Haskell
