Limon in Lincoln County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Eclipse Windmill

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 4, 2024

1. Eclipse Windmill Marker

Inscription.
The Eclipse windmill was invented by Rev. Leonard Wheeler in 1866, with the help of his son William. They began manufacturing this mill in 1866 in Beloit, Wisconsin. In 1890 they sold the company to Fairbanks, Morse and Co. of Chicago.

This mill was unique as it had two vanes, made of cypress wood. The Eclipse was one of the most popular wooden mills in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

This windmill was donated by the Mike Obrien family of Strasburg, Colo. and restored by Marshall Frasier, a local rancher.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Windmills series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1866.

Location. 39° 15.676′ N, 103° 41.379′ W. Marker is in Limon, Colorado, in Lincoln County. It can be reached from 1st Street near F Avenue, on the right when traveling east. The marker and windmill are located on the Limon Heritage Museum & Railroad Park grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 701 1st Street, Limon CO 80828, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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this marker is in the Eastern Plains.

It is also in the American Mountain West,

on the Great Plains,

and specifically on the High Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Comanchería,

the Dust Bowl,

and the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Prairie Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Dempster Windmill (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); David Bradley Windmill (about 300 feet away); Aeromotor Windmill (about 300 feet away); Fairbury Windmill (about 300 feet away); Currie Windmill (about 300 feet away); Colorado Centennial Project (about 400 feet away); Limon Railroad Depot (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Limon.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . . Eclipse windmill (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: The Eclipse windmill was one of the more successful designs of windmill used to pump water in the
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 4, 2024

2. Eclipse Windmill & Marker
nineteenth century United States. It was invented by Leonard Wheeler, a Presbyterian minister who was working among the Ojibwe on the south shore of Lake Superior. Wheeler perfected the device on his missionary homestead over nearly two decades, unknown to the larger technological world.
On September 10, 1867, US Patent No, 68674 was issued. The patent had three claims. The principal claim was for a regulating mechanism to keep wheel pointed at an optimum angle based on both the wind speed and direction. The main design problem for windmills is to capture as much power as possible in light wind, but not be damaged or destroyed by high-speed winds. Wheeler developed a mechanism that pointed the wheel into the wind at low to moderate wind speeds but turned the wheel to point obliquely to the wind at high speeds. This was accomplished by the means of a secondary vane which shifted angles, held in an optimum position by weights through a series of pulleys. which operated against the main directional vane to optimize the angle. An additional benefit to Wheeler's invention, which became second patent claim, was that by a simple shift in one
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 4, 2024

3. Eclipse Windmill Detail
of the hanging weights the motion of the wheel could be stopped altogether. His third claim was for a means by which to mount the vertical axis for the entire mechanism with a hollow shaft so that the ropes operating the regulating pulleys could pass down to the weights without restricting the rotational angle of the platform.

(Submitted on September 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Eclipse Windmill image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 4, 2024

4. Eclipse Windmill

Credits. This page was last revised on September 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 574 times since then and 113 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 27, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.