Timeless Giants

By Cliff Dailey

LSU Ag Leadership Class XVIII

As the tour bus rounded the curve, we were transported back to the 1700s.  Through gray clouds and rain, I could see several tall windmills scattered along a water canal.  We had arrived at the village of Kinderdijk, a World Heritage site near Rotterdam where 19 original windmills built as early as 1740 still exist.  World Heritage sites exist across the globe and are protected by international treaty and considered to be of great value to humanity.  The purpose of these windmills was to pump water out of nearby low-lying agricultural fields and protect the village from flooding.  Our group was anxious to get a closer look at these marvels of engineering.

 A short boat ride down the canal and we arrived at a windmill greeted by a miller.  He gave us some history while demonstrating how to pivot the mill sails to face the wind by balancing on a large winch.  We watched in awe as he quickly scaled the sails spreading the canvas used to catch prevailing winds.  The miller then led us inside to witness the impressive engineering of the structure.  A massive timber of 40 feet was used for the main shaft.  Wind turning the sails and powering the main shaft then turns large paddle wheels that lift water from the canal up to 10 feet!  This enabled millers to keep floodwaters at bay and protect the land and people.   

Our return trip on the canal gave us a better examination of the dikes or levees as we call them in the U.S.  We learned that invasive muskrats damage the dikes by burrowing in them.  Trappers are hired to remove thousands of them annually to prevent dike failures.  I had to laugh because it reminded myself of our battle with nutria in the marshes of Louisiana.  Our class learned overall that despite their challenges with low elevation and flooding, the Dutch are resilient people that are making great strides in feeding their country and the world.