1
15 July 31-Aug. 6, 2013 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT Community » REGIONAL TRAVEL While perusing an Illinois travel website and travel magazine, I came across Fulton, a seemingly mysteri- ous place I’d never heard of and many people I’ve talked to have never heard of as well. Located along the banks of the Mississippi River, Fulton is about a two-hour drive from Woodstock. Fulton’s tourism website describes the town as a “quaint community, rich in heritage and charm.” at claim, combined with the fact that Fulton boasts a Dutch windmill dubbed De Immigrant – manufactured and pre- assembled in the Netherlands – piqued my interest. ough I’d initially planned to write about Wisconsin for this month’s travel piece, I decided to head off to Fulton instead and see how authentic its windmill really is (not that I know much about windmills). I will not sugarcoat things. e drive to Fulton from Woodstock seemed long and arduous, due to a never-ending stretch of highway and nothingness. When I arrived in Fulton, my GPS malfunctioned. I then relied on my own sense of direction and hoped it would lead me to the river. When I saw windmill sails in the distance, I knew I was on the right track. I headed down the road until I came to the street where the windmill sat on a ledge above the river. It is the main focal point of the area. A kitschy Dutch cottage (complete with a steel structure of a Dutchman fishing) and a windmill museum sit on the road leading up to the windmill. I headed to the museum first. Fulton resident and volunteer miller Neal Luker greeted me at the door. He provided background information on the windmill, which he said arrived in Fulton in 2000 from the Netherlands and was assembled and installed by Dutch crafts- men. De Immigrant stands at 100 feet tall, and its timbers are assembled with wooden pegs. Luker said more than 75 volunteers work at the mill and museum, with 25 of them acting as either millers or millers-in-training. “[Working at the mill] gives people in the community an opportunity to work Windmills survive winds of change in Fulton Roaming With Rhonda Rhonda Mix Staff writer Rhonda Mix writes about region- al travel destinations for The Independent and also maintains a travel blog at www. midwesternadventures.com. To suggest your favorite travel destinations in Illinois or Wis- consin, email rhonda@thewoodstockinde- pendent.com. WORKING ILLINOIS WINDMILLS The Fabyan Windmill, Geneva www.illinoiswindmills.org/index_ files/Fabyan.htm An authentic Dutch windmill dating from the 1850s listed on the National Register of His- toric Places in 1979, it originally operated as a custom grinding mill. e windmill was origi- nally constructed by German craftsmen before being reno- vated by a man named George Fabyan in the early 20th cen- tury. Fischer Windmill, Elmhurst www.illinoiswindmills.org/index_ files/Fischer.htm e windmill sits in Mount Emblem Cemetery and was constructed in 1865 by Henry Frederick Fischer, who built the mill with parts from a prefab- ricated kit imported from Hol- land. Two Dutch millwrights assisted with the construction. e mill is currently closed to the public and pending renova- tion. Peotone Windmill, Peotone www.peotone.com/rathjemill Frederick Rathje, his son, Henry, and Christoph Elling be- gan construction of the “wind grist” mill in 1872. e mill pro- duced grain products such as fine wheat flour and rye and was a primary source of feed for the local livestock industry. Prairie Mills, Golden www.goldenwindmill.org e construction of this windmill began in 1872 by Ger- man immigrant Henrich Em- minga. e mill was primarily used to grind buckwheat flour, rye, graham flour, cornmeal and mill feeds. together,” he said. “It’s a chance to get to know people. e dike was really ugly before we brought in the windmill and now we receive more than 10,000 tourists a year.” After touring the museum and view- ing its model international windmills, I thanked Luker and headed across the street to De Immigrant, where I was promptly greeted by Ernie Eads, a longtime miller. Eads explained how the windmill was important to Fulton because many of its residents were of Dutch heritage. He also said the mill runs 30 times per year and uses basalt mill- stones that produce a variety of flours, including buckwheat, rye, corn and wheat. Millers grind one bushel of grain every 10 minutes. As we toured, I noticed a variety of fun-looking wooden shoes lying near the staircase. Eads told me to try on a pair, but, unfortunately, my feet wouldn’t fit. Of course, I was disappointed. We headed up a winding wooden stairway, and I listened as Eads talked about the inner workings of the windmill and its history. We completed the tour with a stop outside where numerous flags surround the mill, paying homage to different provinces in the Netherlands. I thanked Eads and left, snapping a few photos on the way back to my car. So was it worth a visit? I’m always one to suggest exploring new places. However, unless people are passing through the area or are extreme windmill enthusiasts, I don’t think the visit to Fulton was worth the drive. With that being said, entry to the mill was free and Fulton did provide some insight into Dutch culture. e mill also makes for some nice photo opportunities. Interested in learning more about windmills in Illinois? I’ve always thought windmills were somewhat interesting and my parents took my brothers and me to a couple when we were children. ough wind- mills were once widely used in food production, many windmills around the world were cast aside with the onset of the industrial revolution. However, some of the structures have been preserved for their historic value. Once upon a time, more than 50 windmills existed in Illinois. Many of them were destroyed either from natural causes or due to ne- farious reasons. Four working windmills still stand and three are open for public viewing. Fulton’s De Immigrant windmill is a popular tourist attraction. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY RHONDA MIX
