DeZwaan Windmill - Holland, Michigan

DeZwaan Windmill - Holland, Michigan
While passing through Holland, Michigan I came across a totally unexpected edifice. In this small community on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, there is a Dutch Windmill that was brought over from the Netherlands in the 1960’s to commemorate the Dutch heritage of many of the townsfolk. This particular windmill is called DeZwaan Windmill. It was built in 1761 in Krommenie, Netherlands. In Holland, windmills like DeZwaan were used in conjunction with dikes and fortifications to pump dry swamps and lakes and create new land. Holland, Michigan was founded in 1840 by Dutch immigrants and therefore the connection. The DeZwaan windmill was purchased for $2,800 dollars from the Dutch government and then sailed to Muskegon where it was unloaded and then trucked in pieces to Holland where it was reconstructed. DeZwaan Windmill is the centerpiece to the Windmill Island Gardens Park. This pretty little place has a gift shop, Dutch street organ, Carousel and Pilot House. Their website states that over 115,000 tulips bloom in the spring along the pathways and canals at the site. When I visited Windmill Island it was a cold but clear day and most of the attractions were closed. I was however able to walk the short path along the canal to the 125 foot windmill. It was interesting to see one of the millstones on display outside of the windmill and one of the original blades that had bullet holes in it from WWII as these windmills were used as lookouts during that war. I had only seen these types of windmills in movies and to see one up close was quite a treat. They are so much larger than I had imagined and as I stood there looking up at the tower with its giant wind blades it was interesting to think that 250 years ago over 600 of these amazing structures drained the low lands of Holland and powered one of the first industrial sites in the world. If you ever get a chance to visit Holland, Michigan, stop by Windmill Island Gardens and stretch the legs as you look at the incredible historical edifice that is the DeZwaan Windmill. For more information contact Holland, MI city hall at 616-355-1300. 

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