Wind Power Trail

One of Oklahoma's greatest natural resource is Wind. Oklahomans have been harnessing the wind for decades to pump water, and now they're using it to generating electricity. Take a trip down the Wind Power Trail and learn about how we've used the wind in the past and how we're using it the future.

The Wind Power Trail leads through out western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle with the goal to:

1. Bring visitors to rural and urban High Plains communities
2. Educate people about wind energy
3. Educate people about vintage windmills and pioneer history

Sundown at Weatherford, OK by jcorbridge at Flickr

The Oklahoma trail's stops include^*:

• Norman, OK: Tour Bergey Wind Power, a company that makes home and small-wind energy turbines, as well as the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center
  
  
• Lawton, OK: Blue Canyon Wind Farm, power purchased by Western Farmers' Electric Cooperative
  
  
• Weatherford, OK: Weatherford Wind Energy Center. FPL Energy built and operates this wind farm, a massive operation capable of generating up to 106.5 megawatts. It sells the electricity to Public Service Company of Oklahoma under a long-term contract.
  
  
• Elk City, OK: Visit the outdoor vintage windmill collection, and unique wind-powered devices inside the farm and ranch museum
  
  
• Woodward, OK: visit the Wind Energy Center, a commercial wind farm owned by the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority, and Florida Power and Light, with interpretive kiosks that explain the operation of the turbines and use of wind energy
  
  
• Shattuck, OK: visit the outdoor Windmill Museum, one of the best collections of vintage windmills, along with a pioneer sod house and other pioneer displays
  
  
• Guymon, OK: visit the vintage 1905 Dempster at the park/rest area on US 54 and OK 3
  
  
• Boise City, OK: visit the heritage center with its dugout home, vintage mill, and building designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright

For more information on the Wind Power Trail, including all the stops in Texas, visit www.windpowertrail.com.

Old and New Windmills at Weatherford, OK by carleta on Flickr

* Trail descriptions from www.windpowertrail.com. Wind Power Trail discovered via Red Carpet Country