This ELI Windmill

This ELI Windmill. . , This "ELI" Windmill was the brand name of windmills produced by the Kregel Windmill Factory of Nebraska City. Established in 1879, by George F. Kregel, the factory produced windmills up until World War II. Due to materials rationing for the war the factory discontinued production. After the war, George's son, Arthur, took over the business and focused on water well and pump services. In addition to windmills, the factory also produced bee hives. The company operated until Arthur's death in 1991., In the early 1990's, the factory was identified as the last historically intact windmill factory in the United States. It was preserved by concerned community members and is currently being restored to become a museum., This windmill was donated by the P. Edw. Peterson family from their farm north of Nebraska City., Windmills have been used for irrigation pumping and for milling since the 7th Century. In the early days of the United States, the development of the "water-pumping windmill" was the major factor that allowed farming and ranching in vast areas that were otherwise devoid of readily accessible water. The multi-bladed wind turbine atop a lattice tower made of wood or steel was, for many years, a fixture of the landscape of rural America., This part of Nebraska City's heritage was made possible by the City of Nebraska City, the Kregel Windmill Factory Museum, the Campbell Kropp Foundation, the Nebraska City Utilities Company, and Loren Lockman of Double L Windmills.