By TUMBLEWEED SMITH

“They’re the sentinels of the plains, they called them. Lot of people used windmills for landmarks, for navigation, for travel. They stuck up above everything, so they could see them a long ways off. People used windmills for scouting the territory, looking for their kids, they’d get up there to signal their neighbors, they did a lot of things on their windmills.”

Cliff Conway has a windmill business in Comanche. “There’s plenty of windmills to work on. I work around a hundred mile radius of Comanche trying to keep these old things going. I’ve been doing it now for 24 years.”

Cliff says the major problems he encounters on windmills are from wind damage and neglect. “Biggest thing is lack of oil. If people would just put oil in them when they need it, they wouldn’t have near as many problems with them.”

He says a lot of people collect windmills.

“At one time there were over a hundred companies making windmills in the United States. The Aermotor Company out of Chicago made windmills until 1960. Out of all the mills that have ever been made, theirs is kind of the Cadillac. They’ve had the best lastability, therefore I work mostly on Aermotors. There are a few Bakers, a few Dempsters, and a few Heller-Allers. There are several other different brands that I work on, but mostly Aermotors.”

Aermotors are still being made in San Angelo.

“A lot of these windmills that I work on have never been overhauled. And they’ve been up for 80 years. It’s just amazing that there’s never been a mechanical invention that man has come up with that seems to last as long as a windmill.”

Cliff doesn’t mind climbing a windmill tower. “It’s pretty rewarding. That’s I guess what fascinated me about getting into this business. The view from the top of the windmill. I just love to see scenery and you can really see it from up there.”

People who grew up to the sound of a windmill still love that sound today.

“A lot of folks have a sentimental value attached to their windmills. They tell me ‘that was my grandpa’s windmill.’ I think they like the little rhythm that it makes as the rod goes up and down. That’s what most people prefer.” Cliff says as long as he’s able to climb windmills, he’ll be working on them.

The windmill meant a lot to the early pioneers. It was their own personal statue of liberty. Descendants of those early pioneers may live in the city, but they go to the old home place and listen to the sound of the windmill. And they remember.