Windmills line the walls of one of the exhibit halls at American Windmill Museum.
The El Capote Cabin at National Ranching Heritage Center dates back to 1838.
Although we know him as Buddy Holly, his last name was actually Holley. He’s buried in a local cemetery in Lubbock next to his parents.
A giant replica of Holly’s famous glasses greets visitors outside the Buddy Holly Center.
the trains required water, which had to be supplied frequently and regularly, a need met by windmills. There are about 200 windmills on display both inside the two huge exhibit halls and on the grounds of the museum. They cover the history of water-pumping windmills from the 1860s to modern versions as well as the history of their electric-generating counterpart. Another 100 await restoration. The museum has its own shop to overhaul and restore these beloved antiques. The indispensability of water is underscored by the museum’s scale model trains. The set-up is a delight for adults as well as children and depicts the early 1900s in the south plains of Texas, complete with those crucial windmills. Windmills and water still go together today across vast swatches of prairie. The high cost of bringing in electricity to power water pumps makes wind power a highly affordable option. Wind was also used to power huge stones to grind grain and the museum is proud of its Flowerdew Hundred Post Mill, a replica of the first wind driven grist mill in North America (originally constructed in 1621). Jump from the 17th century to the 21st century with the Vestas Wind Turbine, its tower reaching upwards 164 feet and
its stately turning blades providing a humbling sense of its height and power. Besides being fascinating to see up close, the Vestas generates the electricity for the museum. Bruno Steel House The Bruno Steel House (open by appointment only) doesn’t feel much like a home with associations of cozy comfort, although its unconventional creator Robert Bruno did once live there. Instead it feels like walking through the inside of a giant piece of art—a 2,200 square-foot sculpture of 110 tons of steel highlighted by panels of stained glass and huge windows floating above the water of Lake Ransom Canyon. The house itself has been unoccupied since the death of the charismatic if somewhat mysterious sculptor who had made the structure his life’s work. The austere look and bare furnishings remain. The house had been closed to visitors, but Bruno’s daughter Christina has recently allowed tours of this quite singular building. Arrangements must be made in advance with Bruno’s business colleague, Henry F. Martinez, who will open the building and provide a brief
DISCOVER LUBBOCK, TEXAS
COAST TO COAST FALL MAGAZINE 2018
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