Windmills bring in $17,500

PORTALES - Enthusiasts purchased 45 windmills from Roosevelt County on Saturday, bringing in $17,500. The money will go to the upkeep of the county's other windmills, which once belonged to area collector Bill Dalley.

Dalley, who donated dozens of his windmills to the county in 2011, died in November 2018.

Many of the donated windmills began to fall into disrepair, and county commissioners decided to auction some so proceeds could help with maintaining those that remained.

Windmills sold Saturday at the county fairgrounds brought anywhere from $25 to $2,000, with the most prominent buyer being Roosevelt County resident Sharon Davis. She bought nine.

"I love windmills," Davis said, adding that she already has two at her house on New Mexico 467, which is where those from the auction will also be going.

"We just think they're great. It just seems terrible to let our history go away," Davis said. "I hope that someday, they will be back up to where someone can take pictures of them in the sunset again. The thing I never liked about them being located here (at the fairgrounds) is that you could never get a pretty (sunset) picture of them."

Terry Jantzen of Moundridge, Kansas, said he knew Bill and Alta Dalley from windmill trade fairs, so when he heard about the sale, he decided he had to go. He bought two windmills on Saturday.

"It was cool to hear that there are a lot of collectors from Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Kansas - a lot of people from around who will take care of them," Bill Dalley's grandson, Collin McAfee, said.

McAfee said his family was happy with the results of the auction in that the windmills were going to the homes of other passionate collectors but also said his family is "pretty disappointed in just how they've been taken care of" by the county.

"Whenever we heard that they were going to be auctioned off, we wanted to let our voices be heard. We just wanted to create accountability for it," McAfee said. "The county doesn't have a lot to offer a lot of people, so having something that was donated that was once an icon of Portales ... Growing up, we had a book that people would sign in, and there were people from all across the country and even all across the world that would come and look at it (Dalley's collection), so it was just a cool place for people to come and see some history."

McAfee said County Commissioner Rod Savage had emailed his family to let them know that proceeds from the auction would be going toward the upkeep for the remaining 55 windmills still at the fairgrounds.

"That was nice to hear that the money was going back to help the ones that are in somewhat good shape stay in better shape for the future," McAfee said.

Sherry McAfee, Dalley's daughter, said her parents' friend from church also bought one of the windmills Saturday for sentimental value.

"There's a lot of people that it was about sentimental value, so that's cool. That's what we kind of wanted," Collin McAfee said.

"At least they're going to good homes," Sherry McAfee added.