Canon Ranch Railroad Eclipse Windmill

The Canon Ranch Railroad Eclipse Windmill is a windpump with a diameter of 22.5 feet (6.9 meters) that originally stood on a ranch in Pecos County. The structure was later moved to Lubbock, where visitors can now see its wheels, gears, and pumping mechanisms up close.

The structure was built in 1898 by William Canon and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977. It represents industrial water technology that transformed ranching operations in the late 1800s.

The windmill shows how ranchers in the Southwest obtained water for their herds. It was part of daily work at Canon Ranch and helped people live and work in the dry region.

The structure is now located at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock and is accessible to visitors there. You can study the pumping mechanism up close and understand how it solved water supply challenges in remote ranching areas.

This was one of only four railroad-style windpumps ever built in the United States. It was also the largest model the Eclipse Company produced and served as the ranch's primary water source for many decades.

Location: Texas

Location: Pecos County

Address: W of Sheffield on Canon Ranch

GPS coordinates: 30.74556,-101.97500

Latest update: December 14, 2025 12:22