The old windmills — their spinning and creaking — are such an icon of the old days in the American Midwest, Plains, and West. And they are making a comeback. As ranchers and farmers use them the old way — and more and more people love them for moving yard art.

There is also a growing army of windmill restorers — people who refurbish and keep these century-old machines running. You’ll meet Tom Anderson, of California Windmills, atop a mill built in the 1920’s, working to get it running again.  We visited the last company in America building old style windmills.

Aermotor is now in San Angelo, Texas, and business is booming as ranchers use the windmills to water cattle — and others buy them just for the nostalgia of yesteryear. Most exciting, we are seeing many museums dedicated to telling the story of the windmills.

One of the largest collections is at the American Windmill Museum in Lubbock, Texas. The Kregel Windmill Factory Museum in Nebraska City, Nebraska takes us into one of the old factories that built the mills. Windmill Lane, and the Shattuck Windmill Museum in Shattuck, Oklahoma is a popular stop.  In Pella, Iowa, you can see an old-style dutch windmill. At The Pella Historical Museums, they use the Vermeer Windmill from time to time to grind grain. And Windmill Lane in Hiawatha, Kansas will just trill you on a windy day. It’s part of the Brown County Ag Museum. The people running these museums and restoring the old windmills are telling the story of the Icons of the American West — truly Saving Americana.