At 16-stories tall, Big Brutus is the world’s largest surviving electric shovel. From the road, or even the museum nearby, it’s difficult to judge the size of Big Brutus, because it sits in a 20′ deep pit.
Big Brutus is located in Cherokee County, and has never crossed north into Crawford County. Being a 30 minute drive from both Downtown Pittsburg and Downtown Girard, and sitting on the same coalbed with shared history, it is asked about frequently.
Big Brutus’s bucket is large enough to hold a car. During its 10-year lifespan, it dug the equivalent of the Panama Canal from where it sits in Southeast Kansas to the Mississippi River.
Now on the National Historic Register of Places, young or old, Big Brutus is a must see.
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