ILLINOIS WINDMILLS
Dedicated to the history, preservation, and continuing story of windmills in Illinois.
Manufacturers
Although the U. S. Wind Engine and Pump Company is the oldest manufacturer of wind engines, the Challenge Windmill Company was the first to open such a factory in Batavia. These large facilities were situated on the Fox River, ironically using water power to turn the machines that made windmills!
The factories all had different departments and warehouses. The wood shop is where vanes, sails, and towers were carved directly from stock lumber using different templates for the available models. The machine shop was no doubt the busiest; there the metal gearboxes, rods, pumps, fasteners, and spare parts were manufactured from raw stock materials. When metal windmills became popular, the machine shops were expanded to include the manufacture of sails, vanes, and towers.
The Appleton factory building still stands on Batavia’s Riverwalk and now serves as Batavia’s government center. Proudly displayed on the grounds are wind engine models from Challenge, U.S. Wind Engine, Appleton, and Batavia Mill.
The following list includes major windmill manufacturers. Hundreds more companies were involved in the process of selling and distributing windmills; however, there are far too many to catalogue. Note that some of the brand-name windmills began as independent companies but were later purchased or merged with other manufacturing companies.
A J Corcoran
New York, NY
Corcoran
A Y McDonald Mfg Co
Dubuque, IA
Giant Airmaster
Aera Mfg Co
Henry, IL
Aera
Aermotor Windmill Co
Chicago, IL
Aermotor, Bilby
Still open in San Antonio, TX
Albion Wind Mill
Albion, MI
Albion, Union, Wolcott
Became Cook Mfg Co
W H Aldrich
Logansport, IL
Aldrich, Columbia, Happy Home
Became King Drill Co
Alston & Sons PTY LTD
Melbourne, Australia
Alston, Aqua
Althouse-Wheeler & Co
Waupun, WI
Giant, Raymond, Waupun
American Well Works
Aurora, IL
American
Appleton Mfg Co
Batavia, IL
Goodhue
Plant now part of Batavia's Riverwalk
Austin Mfg Co
Chicago, IL
Zero
Automatic Mower and Mfg Co
Chicago, IL
Industrious
Baker Mfg Co
Evansville, WI
Monitor
Batavia Mill Co
Batavia, IL
Batavia, Pearl, Success
Beatty Brothers, LTD
Fergus, Ontario
Beatty, Brantford Self-Oiling
Beckman Brothers
Des Moines, IA
B B
Breyer Brothers, Whiting, & Co
Waupun, WI
Bell, Ozark
Burke-Bollmeyer Mfg Co
Wauseon, OH
"Pull-the-Wire" Windmill Oiler
Add oil from the ground
Butler Windmill Co
Butler, IN
Defiance, Oil-o-matic, Old Style
C A Miller
Urbana, OH
Climax
C & P Machine
Salina, KS
Pioneer
Celina Mfg Co
Celina, OH
Monarch
Challenge Windmill & Feed Co
Batavia, IL
Daisy, Dandy, O.K.
Plant used as metal works in World War II.
Clay Center Windmill & Foundry
Clay Center, KS
Gudnuf
Continental Wind Mill Co
New York, NY
Continental
Crane and Ordway Co
St. Paul, MN
Crane, Ideal
David Bradley Windmill Co
Groton, NY
Champion
Later bought out by Sears.
Decorah Windmill Co
Decorah, IA
Decorah
Dempster Mill Mfg Co
Beatrice, NE
Beatrice, Boss, Dempster
Double Power Mill Co
Appleton, WI
Double Power
Back-to-back wind wheels.
Duplex Mfg Co
Superior, WI
Andrew, Hyatt, Superior
Easy Mfg Co
Lincoln, NE
Easy
Elgin Windmill Co
Elgin, IL
Elgin, Tip-Top, Wonder
First successful self-oiling wind engine.
Empire Wind Mill Mfg Co
Syracuse, NY
Empire
F W Axtell Mfg Co
Fort Worth, TX
Ever-Oiled
F W Krogh and Co
San Francisco, CA
Eureka
F W Winter and Co
Fairbault, MN
Hazen
Fairbanks, Morse, & Co
Chicago, IL
Eclipse
Originally from Beloit, WI
Flint & Walling Mfg Co
Kendallville, IN
Leader, Star
Inspired the Mid-America Windmill Museum.
Goold, Shapley, & Muir Co LTD
Brantford, Ontario
Ideal
Heller-Aller Co
Napoleon, OH
Baker
Manufactured deep-well wind engines.
Hildreth Iron Works
Hildreth, NE
Hildreth
Horicon Windmill Co
Horicon, WI
Horicon
Industrial Mfg Co
Buchanan, MI
Ariel Roller
Kirkwood Wind Engine Co
Arkansas City, KS
Kirkwood
Kregel Wind Mill Co
Nebraska City, KS
Eli
Marseilles Mfg Co
Marseilles, IL
Adams, Steel Queen
Mast, Foos, & Co
Springfield, OH
Imperial, Iron Turbine
J S Risdon of Genoa, IL patents first steel wind engine.
Maud's Windmill and Pump Co
Lansing, MI
Maud's
May Bros Windmill Co
Galesburg, IL
New May, Little Giant
McDaniel and Son
Litchfield, IL
New Era
Montgomery Ward
Chicago, IL
Air King, Clipper, Wind Master
Mount Pulaski Wind Mill Co
Mount Pulaski, IL
Yankee
Ontario Wind Engine and Pump Co
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto
Parish Windmills
Earth, TX
Parish
Perkins Wind Mill Co
Mishawaka, IN
Perkins Steel
Peter's Pump Co
Kewanee, IL
Peter's
Phelps and Bigelow Wind Mill Co
Kalamazoo, MI
IXL
Later made Daisy Red Ryder BB guns.
Plattner-Yale Co
Lincoln, NE
Yale
Plymouth Iron Windmill Co
Plymouth, MI
Hamilton
Powell and Douglass Mfg Co
Waukegan, IL
Iron Screw
Red Cross Mfg Co
Bluffton, IN
Red Cross Line
Rex Windmill Co
North Manchester, IN
Rex
Rork Windmill Co
Lansing, MI
Rork
Ross Supply Co
Greenville, OH
Rex
S Freeman and Sons Mfg Co
Racine, WI
Special
Sandwich Enterprise Co
Sandwich, IL
Enterprise
Sears Roebuck & Co
Chicago, IL
Kenwood
Simpson Windmill & Machine Co
Fairbury, NE
Simpson
Silver & Deming
Salem, OH
Deming
Smith & Pomeroy
Kalamazoo, MI
Eureka
Southern Cross Windmill Co
South Africa
Z
Oldest international manufacturer.
Southern Steel Machine Co
Springfield, OH
Leffel
Stover Mfg Co
Freeport, IL
Ideal Irrigator, Samson
Trahem Pump Co
Rockford, IL
Trahem
Twin Wheel Windmill Mfg Co
Hutchinson, KS
Twin Wheel
As the name suggests, a double wind wheel.
Union Steel Products Co LTD
Albion, MI
Albion, Cook
U S Wind Engine & Pump Co
Batavia, IL
Ace, Halladay, Little Gem
First wind engine manufacturer.
Ward Love Pump Co
Rockford, IL
Rockford
Western Land Roller Co
Hastings, NE
Western
Williams, Smith, & Co
Kalamazoo, MI
Manvel
Winship Mfg Co
Racine, WI
Racine
Woodmanse Mfg Co
Freeport, IL
Airmaster, Mogul, Woodmanse
Wyatt Mfg Co
Salina, KS
Currie