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Written by: Robyn Hoffman/Staff Writer , The Woodward News By Robyn Hoffman Staff Writer
Dale Steenbergen of Woodward and Beverly Eitzen of Shattuck are banking on the wind to blow more tourism money into Northwest Oklahoma. Both Chamber of Commerce officials see potential for increased dollars now that both communities will be part of the new American Wind Power Trail, an interstate project capitalizing on wind energy and tourism. “I predict this will make a significant impact on Woodward,” said Steenbergen, Woodward Chamber of Commerce president. “Eco and heritage tourism is extremely popular right now. People will come to see these attractions.” The American Wind Power Trail, a venture between Texas and Oklahoma, is designed to help tourists interpret the history of the Great Plains through windmills, weather and wind energy. The modern Oklahoma Wind Energy Center near Woodward and Shattuck’s historic Windmill Museum are both stops along the trail. “I think the neat thing about this is that it blends the old with the new,” Steenbergen said. “People are really interested in historic windmills. And I think that has helped them develop an interest for big wind turbines at the wind-powered facilities like we have.” Other cities along the trail include: • Lawton : WindWorks, a commercial wind farm operated by Western Farmers Electric Cooperative • Norman: Tours of Bergey Wind Power, a small wind-energy turbine factory, and National Weather Service’s Severe Weather Lab • Elk City: Outdoor vintage windmill collection at the Farm and Ranch Museum • Spearman, Texas: J.B Buchanan Windmill Park, the first collection of vintage windmills in America • Canyon, Texas: Alternative Energy Institute at West Texas A&M University and vintage windmill collection at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. • Plainview, Texas: Several vintage windmills and pioneer displays. • Lubbock, Texas: American Wind Power Center, nation's largest and most varied collection of vintage windmills. “This trail will not only bring attention to Shattuck, but also to the region,” said Eitzen, Shattuck Chamber of Commerce president. “I think the interest in windmills has grown over the years and people are beginning to recognize how vital these windmills were to this part of the country. Without them, this part of the country would have never been settled.” Eitzen said the Windmill Museum’s designation on the trail will help draw more people to Shattuck’s 16th Annual International Windmillers Trade Fair on June 8-10. She said the last fair attracted people from other continents to see windmills from days past. “The trail can’t do anything but help our events,” Eitzen said. “The increased tourism will help us develop other venues, such as a museum, for people to see when they come here. It will also make us more aware of how valuable the Windmill Museum is to Shattuck.” Steenbergen said 50,000 maps of the trail will be printed and distributed to welcome centers in both states, visitors and convention bureaus, hotels and more. The maps will be accompanied by a CD which will give highlights of each of the stops along the trail. He predicts the trail dedication will occur this summer. “We’re excited about what this will do for our area,” Steenbergen said. “It’s good news any time you can bring more people to this area.” Back All rights reserved. Copyright of The Woodward News. Content on this site may not be archived, retransmitted, saved in a database, or used for any commercial purpose without the express written permission of The Woodward News. |