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California's Gold with Huell Howser

Windmills

The first stop on our adventure is the Dutch Windmill in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which was built in 1902, at a cost of $ 16,000. It is 75 feet high, and 33 feet in diameter at the base, its sails have a span of 102 feet and it was capable of pumping 30,000 gallons of fresh water per hour from underground to a reservoir on Strawberry Hill. Despite being a great success for a few years (so much so that a second windmill was built), by 1913 electric pumps were introduced, so the windmills began to become obsolete. In August 1976, volunteers from the US Navy Reserve started to restore the rundown Dutch Mill. Work continued through to completion in 1981.

The second windmill, which is close by, is patiently waiting its turn to be brought back to its original glory. Huell visits both windmills and gets a first hand look at these historic bits of California's Gold. We travel to Enron Wind in Tehachapi to look at the biggest and most modern windmill we could find. Join Huell as he climbs 213 feet straight up to the top of this amazing machine. The blades are 112 feet long each, for a combined wing span (with the center hub) of 231 feet!

Support Provided By
Season
Classic Arts Showcase
25:33
Huell tours the Glendale office of Classic Arts Showcase, a free cable TV arts program.
Whistling Champ
25:55
Huell visits with the Whistling Champ Carole Anne Kaufman at her salon.
Masumoto Family Farm
28:20
Huell travels to Central California to visit the 80 acre Masumoto Family Farm.
Capitol Steps
28:32
Huell goes straight to the top: California’s Capitol Building, a stunning neoclassical gem
Tall Ship Californian
27:03
Huell sails aboard the state’s official tall ship, Californian.
Point Fermin Lighthouse Lens
28:22
Huell tracks down Point Fermin's beautiful glass Fresnel lens.
Glacier
27:07
Join Huell as he hikes high up in the Eastern Sierra to visit the Conness Glacier.
Sea Caves
25:53
Huell travels out to Santa Cruz Island to explore its famous sea caves by kayak.
Persimmons
26:12
Huell spends the day in Granite Bay California learning the ancient art of Hoshigaki.
Gold Rush Medicine
28:19
"Doctors” of the Gold Rush did the best they could to care for California's immigrants.
Oil Islands
27:44
In Long Beach, Calif., there’s a 42-acre collection of oilfield islands.
Warnors Theatre
27:22
The Warnors Theatre, a Fresno landmark that opened in 1928, houses a unique pipe organ.
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