Big Muskie was a coal mining Bucyrus-Erie dragline owned by the Central Ohio Coal Company (a division of American Electric Power), weighing nearly 13,000 metric tons (13,000 LT; 14,000 ST) and standing nearly 22 stories tall. It operated in the U.S. state of Ohio from 1969 to 1991. Big Muskie was the worlds largest Dragline.
Big Muskie cost $25 million in 1969. Big Muskie removed over 608,000,000 cubic yards (465,000,000 m3) of overburden, which is twice as much earth as was moved during the construction of the Panama Canal, uncovering over 20,000,000 tonnes (2.0×1010 kg) of coal.
It was 151.5 feet (46.2 m) wide, 222.5 feet (67.8 m) in height, and 487.5 feet (148.6 m) in length with the boom down. Its bucket could carry two Greyhound buses side by side. It took over 200,000 man hours to construct over a period of about two years.
Big Muskie was dismantled in 1999, despite calls that it be preserved as a museum. Its bucket, however, remains at the site for educational purposes, and as a tourist attraction at 39.70 N, -81.73 W.
10,000 acres (16 sq mi; 40 km²) of the land stripped by Big Muskie were reclaimed and turned into a wildlife park called The Wilds, which opened in 1994. It is home to numerous species of African, Asian, and North American fauna.
Taken from the Wikipedia entry (
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Ohio State Historical Marker "Miner's Memorial Park" 10-58 is located at this site. The text reads:
Miner's Memorial Park
Agriculture dominated the economy of southeastern Ohio's Morgan County until the 1940s when harvests dwindled, the population declined, and land values dropped. Surface mining the area's rich underground coal deposits replaced agriculture as the major industry and revitalized the declining local economy. As the nation's demand for electricity grew over the next half-century, so did the demand for coal as fuel for nearby power generation plants. During mining's heyday in the 1960s to the late 1980s, American Electric Power's former Central Ohio Coal Company subsidiary employed nearly 1,000 people. Nearby communities-such as Cumberland, Caldwell and Chandlersville-thrived. As time passed, however, the robust coal industry was hit hard by environmental regulations that reduced the market for the area's high-sulfur coal. In turn, mine work forces shrank considerably and local businesses closed.
While the future of southeastern Ohio's coal industry may be unknown, there is no doubt about the legacy the industry left behind in ReCreation Land. Mined and reclaimed by Central Ohio Coal, ReCreation Land is a 30,000-acre wooded wonderland and an outstanding example of environmental stewardship. AEP began reclaiming lands it mined in the early 1940s-long before laws requiring reclamation were passed. ReCreation Land not only captures the area's surface mining history, it is an outdoor recreational area that features campsites and stocked lakes and ponds. Miner's Memorial Park is AEP's tribute to the area's mining industry and the men and women who dedicated their lives to that industry. Because of the long-term economic effects and the lasting legacy left behind by this industry, it is fitting that ReCreation Land is recognized for its historical significance to the coal industry and to southeastern Ohio.