GLENROCK - Don Quixote, famous for mistaking windmills for giants, might make of this sight a whole tribe of Titans.

But if giants they are, a certain benevolent nature they also possess.

For Larry Plum, a Wackenhut guard who cautions visitors about rattlesnakes crawling about looking for shade, and for hundreds of truck drivers Plum clears through every day, Rocky Mountain Power's Glenrock, Rolling Hills and Glenrock III wind projects in Converse County are a source of employment.

Alex Bailey, a recent Casper College grad who plans to pursue a structural engineering degree at the University of Wyoming, has gained both a summer job and some practical experience with wind farms.

Bailey said it takes six-and-a-half trucks to haul the parts for just one wind turbine, not including internal components.

Bailey might someday want to build wind farms. Or perhaps partly inspired by the turbine heights, which rise to 80 meters at the hub, he said he might build skyscrapers instead.

"These are about the tallest things I've ever seen go up in Wyoming," he said.

In all, the wind farm will consist of 158 turbines, the construction of which means employment for laborers, crane operators, electricians, trucker drivers, engineers and others. Wages for such crafts generally range from $10 to $30 an hour, according to documents filed with the state. Currently, the projects have a work force of about 275.

But the economic benefits are not limited to direct employment.

At the All American Inn in Glenrock, motel manager Glenna Hunter produced a chart showing blocks of rooms occupied by workers from the wind projects and from Cyclone Drilling. She expects to stay full for months.

"We have a lot of work in the area and not many places for people to stay," she said.

Of her 21 rooms, Hunter said all but four, which have been set aside for visitors like tourists and sportsmen, are rented to workers on various projects.

Hunter reported few problems with unruly guests: "They're really nice people," she said.

For her part, Hunter tries to be accommodating. She allows pets, and she plans to provide a nice Thanksgiving for men separated from their families.

But she does have limits on how many workers can bunk together. "Three to a room is about the max," she said, while showing a two-bedroom unit with a microwave oven, TV and small refrigerator.

Barber Jerry Miller said a large construction project is a boon for a small town. "Everybody benefits," he said.

Even Doris Gosnell at Northside Ceramics and D&D Wild West Emporium reported some boost in business on account of the activity.

But Ginger Norgaard, owner of Glenrock Cleaners, has not profited as much as she had expected.

"Not a huge increase, I actually anticipated a little more," she said. "But I think Casper is absorbing most of it."

Casper businessman Rich Fairservis said MainStay Suites has allotted about 50 rooms for workers associated with Glenrock projects.

Project Manager Laine Anderson said turbines will go into service as they are erected. Electricity will flow via a transmission line to a switching station north of the Dave Johnston Power Plant.

The wind farm comprises the Glenrock, Rolling Hills and Glenrock III projects. Glenrock and Rolling Hills consist of 66 turbines each with 99-megawatt capacities, while Glenrock III consist of 26 turbines and a capacity of 39 megawatts.

Total cost for construction of the three projects is expected to top $500 million.

The wind farm is scheduled for completion by year's end. It should generate enough electricity for about 66,000 typical homes over a year's time.

Wind turbines are springing up across the Wyoming landscape. Wind farms take advantage of an abundant resource and produce "green" power that increasingly is in demand.

In a national campaign, Texas billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is promoting the idea of erecting hundreds of wind turbines from Texas to North Dakota. His plan calls for wind turbines to supply 20 percent of the nation's electricity in 10 years.

Business Editor Tom Mast can be reached at tom.mast@trib.com, or call 307-266-0574.