Dutch Windmill

Dutch Windmill
(and Queen Wilhelmina Gardens)
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The Dutch Windmill is located on John F. Kennedy Drive, near Great Highway. It was built in 1902 at a cost of $25,000 and was designed to pump irrigation water to a reservoir on Strawberry Hill. In its day, the windmill was capable of pumping 30.000 gallons of underground water an hour to the reservoir.

The windmill had fallen into disrepair until 1981 when a fundraising effort spearheaded by Eleanor Rossie Crabtree, daughter of a frmer mayor, raised money for supplies. Labor was donated by the Seabees and men of the U.S.S Coral Sea. No longer needed for irrigation, the windmill stands as a remembrance of the past.

Future Rehabilitation
Plans are in the works for a redesign of the area encompassing the Dutch and Murphy Windmills. Visitors will be able to enjoy a stroll along a processional canal walk. As well as framing views, the corridors will provide an experience of moving back and forth from an enclosed space to an open one.

For a colorful treat, visit the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, named in 1962 for the late queen of the Netherlands. Set against the Dutch Windmill, this garden offers visitors a wide variety of tulips and other annuals. Best viewing time occurs in early spring.
Return to map Last updated on September 11, 2003. Mail comments to: davidg@lightight.com Photographs and Text Copyright ©2004, David Gardner. All Rights Reserved.