To the settler or roving cowboy, a windmill’s creak and groan were a sign of life. It signified water. On the Texas South Plains, the wood-wheeled Eclipse, patented in 1867, was the windmill of choice. More than 300 furnished water for cattle and cowboys on the huge XIT Ranch. Old-timers say the big, 14-foot wheel was “the only one that could get deep water.”
Eclipse Windmill
c. 1873
The Eclipse was invented by a Presbyterian minister working among Indians on Lake Superior. He had it working for two decades before the world discovered it. He patented it in 1867 and then sold the patent to the Eclipse Windmill Co. in 1873
This Eclipse was located in Sherman County, Texas, and restored for the NRHC. The wooden wheel, sails, tail and fan were recreated according to specifications in an old catalog. It was moved to the site in 1970 to top a well on a nearby berm and supply water to the JA Milk and Meat House. The Eclipse was used by the railroads as they built west across the Great Plains after the Civil War. The railroads needed water for the steam-powered engines. The exposed parts made it necessary for someone to climb the tall tower and grease the parts as often as once a week.
In 2017, the NRHC Eclipse was damaged in a wind storm. The historical preservation staff replaced more than 60 vanes and rebuilt and repainted the entire head.
