Windmills are a common sight in Nebraska.
The historian Walter Prescott Webb argued that the windmill, barbed wire and the six-shooter made homesteading on the Great Plains possible. Windmills ensured early homesteaders had a constant supply of water, and early in this century, they were used to produce electricity for homesteads. Many Nebraskans remember the 32-volt Wincharger. With the coming of inexpensive public power to rural Nebraska, most small electric windmills were abandoned. During the 1970s, the sudden increase in energy costs coupled with spot shortages of oil caused a renewed interest in wind energy.