Inherit The Wind

"The windmill was like a flag marking the spot where a small victory had been won in the fight to homestead in an arid land." This adage captures the essence of windmill lore of an earlier era.

Two years ago the Friends of R House erected a 4,000 gallon water tank replica standing atop a 22-foot tower to show how water was stored and distributed, by gravity, to the fields, the livestock, and as high as the second floor of the house. In due course the Board of Directors set out to complete the picture and to demonstrate how water got into the tank. In that long ago era, when Mr. Rengstorff was extending his farmland holdings, water towers were built next to a well. Atop the well was a pump connected to a rod leading up to a windmill. With vanes spinning in the wind, power was converted to an up-and-down thrust of the pump rod, and a pipe connected to the pump delivered well water to the tank.

A windmill committee researched sources for these revolving relics, visiting three distant sites in Northern California. (Both new and antique windmills are still available.) More than a year ago, while the Board was still contemplating alternatives, the owner of a working windmill in Mountain View, came forward with the offer to donate his mill to us in the likely event that property rezoning would preclude his continued farming and related operations. It came to pass that the owner, Dave Schmitz, lessee of the Mountain View Grant Road Farm, was directed by the land owners to vacate the 15 acres due to the pending sale of the property for development of single family homes.

In February 2007 Mr. Schmitz dismantled the tower, windmill, and pump. The Friends of R House took possession and the City of Mountain View transported the elements to Shoreline at Mountain View, where they await final approvals and erection in the next several months.

The windmill, said to be a Montgomery Ward Air King model, which were manufactured between 1929 and 1938, along with the pump, probably of the same vintage, had been acquired by Mr.Schmitz in 1988 as an attraction for his farm and produce stand. Mr. Schmitz constructed a wooden tower in the style seen in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The history of this windmill is intertwined with the Rengstorff House. It stood on what is now Shoreline Blvd. just across the street from the Rengstorff farm while the Rengstorff descendants were still living in their Victorian home. In 1956 the Chavez family had moved into an existing home on the property where the windmill was faithfully pumping - and continued its reliable service until shortly before Mr. Schmitz acquired it from them. When the house and windmill were erected is not clear, but the early 1940s may be likely. The property, now a vacant lot sandwiched between modern office buildings, is still owned by Mr. Chavez.

The City's Parks and Recreation Commission gave preliminary conceptual approval for a windmill in late 2005. Architect Henry Wood, A.I.A., who designed the water tank, is working on plans for its erection. See his design nearby. And stand by for further progress reports.

Windmill - The Final Update

At a ceremony (see photos in the Scrapbook section) on May 12, 2008 our windmill, with 65 years of Mountain View history, was turned over to the City of Mountain View. The ribbon was cut by Mary Lentz, President of the Friends of R House, assisted by Nick Galiotto, City Council Member, who accepted on behalf of the City. Appreciation was expressed to the architect Henry Wood, A.I.A., contractor Neal Trenery, and windmill committee members Ginny Kaminski and Charlie Grant, and, most of all, to the donor of the windmill David Schmitz.