Southern Alberta's Historic Windpower Interpretive Centre

I grew up in central Alberta where windmills aren’t a common sight, so they are a novelty to me. On a recent trip through southern Alberta where hundreds of windmills once dotted the landscape, I visited the Historic Windpower Interpretive Centre in the tiny village of Etzikom. The centre has dozens of windmills all in one place!

A paved walking path guides you through the grounds and past a variety of windmills that were manufactured in Canada and the U.S. from the late 1800s to mid 1900s. There are more types of windmills than I imagined. There’s even a vaneless windmill. I didn’t think such a thing was possible.

On the prairies, windmills were used for many purposes – pumping water to fill steam locomotives or supply farms, grinding grain and powering other types of machinery. Plaques along the path relate the history of the various types of windmills and explain the science behind them.

Whether you want to learn about windmill history in Alberta or just look at pretty windmills, the Historic Windpower Interpretive Centre is worth a visit.