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Historic windmill finds new home in Millarville

Century-old windmill tower from Paton family farm near Arcola, Saskatchewan has been re-erected at the Millarville Racing and Agricultural Society grounds.

Every landscape has a backstory.

Now there is a tall, stoic windmill complementing the rural agricultural landscape at the Millarville Racing and Agricultural Society grounds, thanks to Russ and Terri Paton and family. The Patons generously donated a windmill tower from Russ’s family farm near Arcola, Sask. 

This old windmill has been part of Russ’s life for as long as he can remember, and they are very pleased to see it start a renewed life at the Millarville Racetrack. 

This windmill was the tallest structure Russ had ever seen as a child and he was fascinated by it. The well beneath the windmill was their only source of water when they moved to the farm in 1959. It supplied their family with drinking water and sustained livestock for many years. Cattle, milk cows, chickens, hogs and the Patons all drank water pulled from the ground by the wind, via this mill. 

The windmill fell out of use in the 1960s, replaced by electric pumps, and was eventually torn down. It lay in a grove of trees for five decades. With some time on Russ’s hands during COVID, he dragged the tower out of the bush and spent the winter of 2020/2021 rebuilding it. 

As it lay in a heap of disassembled components, the tower seemed weak and unsubstantial. As the beams and spars and bolts came together, the tower grew stronger. Once all components were working in harmony, the tower could support the heavy cast-iron head, the concrete counterweight and the wooden sails, all in a heavy wind. 

Windmills, like this 1920s model, were fixtures of the pioneer prairie landscape.

They harnessed ever-present wind to draw water from deep within the earth. Without them, life would have been impossible in the early days of settlement. 

“I am very pleased that the restored windmill looks like it did when I was a boy,” said Russ, who has learned many life lessons and skills by investigating the power of windmills. 

One of those life lessons came at an early age. 

“This windmill taught me that fear is fragmented, it can be broken down and dealt with in pieces. Reduced to manageable bits, there is nothing that can’t be overcome," he said.

“On one occasion when Dad wasn’t looking, I decided to climb the ladder to the top. I was eight or nine years old at the time. About two-thirds of the way up I began to regret my decision. My eyes wouldn’t focus properly, my palms were sweating and I froze up there. Dad came by and talked me down, but my knees were very wobbly on the descent.  

“Dad recommended that if I wanted to climb to the top, I should ease into it. He suggested I climb up one rung for every year old I was. If I did that he said, ‘You will be able to dance on the monkey board by the time you are an adult.’ So, every year on my birthday I would climb up one more rung. I moved away from home when I was 18, but by then I had overcome my fear of heights.” 

Russ said windmills are a symbol of resilience, of our ability to endure in a harsh land, so he’s pleased to see the windmill re-erected at the Millarville Racing and Agricultural Society grounds to perpetuate that legacy. 

Lorretta Stabler is president of the Millarville Historical Society. 

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