West Liberty History 1838-1938

Source: One Hundred Years of History
* Commemorating a Century of Progress in the West Liberty Community * WEST LIBERTY, IOWA
LOG CABIN HISTORY

Chapter XXII

THE FIRST WINDMILL

As has been stated, about the years 1840-1 attempts had been made to harness the Wapsie and utilize its power in sawing lumber, but with no great success, for the stream was capricious and willful. But about that time Egbert T. Smith conceived a far more Quixotean feat. He would harness an Iowa zephyr and utilize its power for his own purpose. In this he but proved himself a veritable " tenderfoot ", for no one who was used to the winter's blizzards or summer's squalls would have had the temerity to attempt such a thing. But Smith was sanguine and had the means to exploit his daring conception.

He erected a huge tower of massive timbers on which he placed a wind wheel, the like of which has never before or since been seen. When it was completed he attached a saw and thought to compete with the water mill farther down the creek. He had now completed his part of the contract and " whistled for the wind " to do its part. But the wind would only work its own wild will. It laughed at Smith's temerity; it roared at his audacity; it whispered its displeasure; it shrieked at his interference; it howled, it sulked, it bucked, it balked; it shook his machine in its frenzy; it would not be tampered and work his saw, and he acknowledged in language more forceful than elegant his defeat by an Iowa zephyr.

Also in 1841, Enoc Lewis came from Ohio, bringing his numerous family of boys and girls, and took the place of Robert Stuart, who was ready to move on to newer scenes. The coming of the family was of keen interest to the young people of the community, and they soon had many callers of both sexes, who were anxious to be of service to the family in arranging their affairs to suit their changed surroundings, and incidently to become acquainted with the young people. Along with the Lewises came William Henderson, a son-in-law, and his family. They settled in a little house across the road from the Lewises in the northwest quarter of section 11-78-4, just south of the old residence of Preston Brown, but it was not long till he sold the place to Jacob Adams and bought a farm and built a frame house on it in Cedar county, and for that reason is without the pale of this history only as recalled by the following incident.

---