Let me start with a word of unsolicited advice. Do not overeat in Marietta if, an hour later, you find yourself driving on Ohio Rt. 78. That road is unbelievably curvy and hilly and lunch was almost lost a couple of times.
Along the way I passed the Shenandoah Airship Disaster marker but did not stop as I was very focused on getting to the big attraction that lay ahead.
A couple of years ago I visited a big Musky at the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame in Hayward, Wisconsin. While an impressive site, it held nothing on Big Muskie's Bucket.
Big Muskie was the second largest machine ever to walk on earth. From 1969-1991 Big Muskie removed more than 600 billion cubic yards of overburden from the hills of southern Ohio so that bulldozers could get to the coal seams underneath. All that remains of Big Muskie today is her bucket. Empty, the bucket weighs 230 tons. It could hold 325 tons of material, which Big Muskie could scoop up and deposit 600 feet away. The volume of the bucket is equivalent to a twelve-car garage. I was humbled in the presence of such a giant.
When mining operations were shut down, an attempt was made to preserve the entire dragline but only the bucket was able to be saved (you can't easily move machinery that weighs 13,500 tons). If you want to see an older, smaller version of Big Muskie head to West Mineral, Kansas, home of Big Brutus.
Noble County is very proud to be the home of Big Muskie's bucket, even if the bucket is actually in neighboring Morgan County.
The bucket sits in a little park maintained by the electric company. The company claims that the land you see in the distance has been reclaimed from Big Muskie's diggings.
You make everything sound about twice as interesting as it normally would.
The bucket is certainly large, but doesn't look as large as it seems like it should. At least in photos and as you're whipping past it and glancing up at it from 78.
I'm pleased you stopped and checked this out, as I - obviously - did the Shenendoah thing, and after pulling over for that and praying my way through the rest of 78 ("PLEASE God, let McConnelsville be soon!!") I was in no mood to pull off for this. Especially because I'd have had to fight my way through about 50 bikers up there to get pictures.
I will never drive 78 again.
Posted by: Dane | 16 April 2009 at 02:02 AM
Why thank you! It's because I'm very interested in giant buckets.
p.s. Yours was comment #3000! Sorry, the prize bucket is empty. :(
Posted by: Joe | 16 April 2009 at 09:31 PM