Spearville used to be known as the Home of the Lancers–the local high school. Nowadays, a landmark billboard along Highway 50/56 has been modified, to proclaim Spearville to be the home of the Lancers and Windmills. The change was made for a good reason: you simply can’t miss the dozens of modern windmills scattered on farmland north of town.
The Spearville Wind Farm was completed in 2006. It includes 67 General Electric turbines, capable of producing 100.5 megawatts of power–enough to light up 33,000 homes.
There’s a small interpretive display that provides plenty of fun facts about the wind farm. Here are a few more:
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Each tower is 262 feet tall–include the blade, and each windmill is 66 feet taller than Kansas’ tallest building.
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Although the entire structure weighs 120 tons, a breeze of just 8 miles per hour can turn the blades.
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The site was chosen because it is out of the way of the paths of migratory birds, aviation, and microwave radio towers.
Note: This trip was first published in 2008.