A black and white photograph of a windmill filling up a metal barrel with water. A diagram of a windmill pumping water up from underground

A major issue for many settlers in the Great Plains was not having access to fresh water for drinking, washing, bathing, and growing crops. Early settlers could barely haul enough water for personal needs, let alone grow crops or water livestock. The Great Plains do not have a lot of water on the surface, but it does have water deep underground and has lots of wind. Windmills had been used over in Europe for centuries to help pump water from underground.

In 1854, Daniel Halladay adapted an the Europe version of the windmill and created the American-type windmill; it was cheaper, smaller, and easier to send out West to farmers. These windmills worked on the Great Plains to gain access to the water flowing deep underground, often more than 300 feet below the earth’s surface. Windmills pump water out of the ground and work when wind spins the propellers around. This was a creative adaptation to the climate of the plains and allowed farmers to gain access to water.