Windmill outside Industry Illinois – Road Icons on Rt. 67

Sometimes it is the things you see along the way that make a trip. Last Sunday we headed out to pick up old iron my husband, a collector had purchased. The wind was blowing, the clouds were scudding through the sky and intermittent rain showers glazed the silvery landscape. At times fog steamed from the ground and the setting had all the drama of a Grimms Fairytale.

On the curve outside of Industry, Illinois sits this road icon, a dutch style windmill that makes you wonder about the history. In this picture you can almost feel a fairytale princess locked in the upper room waiting for the sun to come out and her prince to arrive on a white horse and open the door to freedom.

While that is quite whimisical thoughts, I found a post where the writer shared what he believed to be the real history. The post read, “My Grandfather who is 93 has always lived in the area, and he has told me about the windmill by the curve just before Industry. He says it used to be a restaurant. There used to be a room in back of the windmill and cabins behind it.”

Whatever the story, this lovely windmill evokes many feelings as you drive by and offers one more piece of true Americana!