Little Chute Windmill under construction!

Little Chute Windmill, Inc. Executive Director Robin Dekker recently returned from a trip to the Netherlands, where she visited Verbij Windmill Design & Construction and checked on the progress of the Little Chute Windmill construction. “It was amazing to see and touch the first pieces of our windmill that have been built, “said Dekker. “To think these parts will be in our windmill in downtown Little Chute next spring is really exciting.”

Two pieces of the Little Chute Windmill have been made by Verbij so far, the milling table and sail stock axle. The milling table, or maalstoel as it is called in Dutch, is a large wooden framework that holds the two disc-shaped millstones used for grinding grain into flour. The millstones have a diameter of 4 feet, 7 inches. The upper millstone is 12 inches thick and weighs 4400 pounds, while the lower is 10 inches thick and weighs 3300 pounds. The sail stock axle, or bovenas as it is called in Dutch, is the cast iron axle that holds the sail stocks of the windmill. It is 16 feet long and weighs 7700 pounds. The sail stocks are 80 feet long. The overall height of the windmill will be 100 feet and the diameter of the base will be 30 feet.

“If you think about the size of these windmill parts, you start to get an idea of how massive our windmill is going to be. The Little Chute Windmill is not just a building, it is a fully-functional piece of machinery,” said Dekker. “When you see a windmill in real life, it has an impact on you, you don’t forget it.”

A public presentation on the progress of the construction of the Little Chute Windmill will be held on Wednesday, June 10 at the Little Chute High School Auditorium from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Attendees will learn about the Windmill Project and see pictures of the Little Chute Windmill construction progress, Verbij Windmill Design & Construction and various historic windmills throughout the Netherlands. The address of the Little Chute High School Auditorium is 1402 Freedom Rd. There is no cost and all ages are encouraged to attend. Large groups are welcome. For more information, please contact Robin Dekker at 920-788-2629 or yourwindmill@sbcglobal.net.

Little Chute Windmill, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising $2.5 million to build an authentic functioning 100 foot-tall Dutch windmill and visitor center museum in downtown Little Chute to celebrate the Dutch heritage of northeast Wisconsin. To date, approximately $2.1 million towards the goal has been raised.

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items are from between 05 May 2009 & 10 May 2009.