One of Murphy Windmill’s more eccentric stories is that of local daredevil Velma Tilden, whose prior stunts included making a mock-ermine coat out of Himalayan rabbit fur and riding a water walker across the San Francisco Bay.

In 1921, the American League of Veterans hosted a publicity stunt and fundraiser at Murphy in order to support out-of-work veterans. The main premise of the event: If someone were able to strap themselves to one of the windmill’s blades and ride its sails, they would win a $1 box of candy.

Tilden made not one, not two, but 25 trips around the windmill. At the peak of her ride, she was more than 200 feet above the ground.

When Tilden got off the windmill, she reaffirmed that “I did it for the dare, not for the candy.”

– Clarisse Kim