Though Texas became the largest user of windmills in the United States, there were never more than three active manufacturers of windmills in Texas at one time. Only two Texas manufacturers, the Axtell Company in Fort Worth and the San Antonio Machine and Supply Company, produced windmills on a large scale. The last water-pumping windmill patented in the United States, however, was invented by a native Texan, W. W. Welborn, in 1951, in the small southwestern town of Carrizo Springs. It was a specialized mill designed for pumping water from depths of 700 to 2,000 feet. By the time this giant mill had been developed, the windmill market had declined so far that it could support no new mills.
Windmills remain an important supplier of water for Texas cattlemen.
The King Ranch in the late 1960s kept 262 mills running continuously and 100 complete spares in stock. Stocking spare mills is a common practice among ranchers who depend on the windmill to supply water for cattle in remote pastures. Because the windmill has been confined for the most part to remote areas, it has become a symbol of a lonely and primitive life, fitting for the pioneer Texans it first served. During the 1970s researchers turned to windmills as an energy source. Due to the oil embargo and subsequent fuel crisis, the United States government increased funding for windmill research.