Our journey started with a visit to Caldwell, TX to celebrate Thanksgiving with Jim’s side of the family before heading down to Brownsville, TX where we would cross the border into Matamoros, Tamaulipas. We were looking forward to this celebration as Jim’s mother (Grace), sister (Anna) and her family, brother (Jon) and his family as well as his 2 nieces (Melissa & Jessica) and their respective families were joining us making this a nice family reunion.
Caldwell, TX is located in Eastern Texas just outside of Bryan/College Station (home of Texas A&M) so we had a long initial drive ahead of us. In fact, Madison, WI is approximately 1100 miles from Caldwell and we estimated it would take 20-22 hours with stops. Wanting to break the trip up a bit, we assigned George the task of finding us something fun to do… some site to visit… along the way. Lo and behold, he discovered Big Brutus in West Mineral, KS!
I can only guess, that like me, you have never heard of Big Brutus so let me fill you in.
At the core, it is the largest electric coal shovel in the world located in Southeastern Kansas. As you drive towards the site during the day, you can see what appears to be a gigantic, prehistoric creature rising above the plains. In actuality, the creature is a black and orange 160-foot tall coal shovel designed and built by Bucyrus-Erie for the Pittsburgh & Midway (P&M) Coal Mining Company. It is Model 1850-B and is the only one of its kind ever built. Too big to transport as one unit, it was transported to the site in 150 railroad cars and re-assembled at a price of $6 million.
During our self-guided tour, we learned it was operated with a 3-man crew with the support of electricians and roller operators. The coal shovel ran 24 hours/day… 7 days per week from 1963 until 1974. It had a speed of .22 miles per hour and moved approximately one square mile per year. It purpose was not to dig coal rather its huge bucket removed the overburden which is the dirt and rocks covering the coal seams. One scoop could fill 3 railroad cars! Once the overburden was removed, huge coal strippers moved in on the coal seams.
In April 1974, Big Brutus ceased operations. In 1984, P&M deeded this behemoth so it could be used as a museum dedicated to the coal mining industry allowing visitors to sit in the operator’s seat and see the levers and dials that manipulated this giant.
Also on-site is a museum that tells the story of Southeast Kansas’ mining heritage.
We were told the exhibits change regularly and include displays of mining equipment and photographs of the area plus photos and a video of the original assembly of Big Brutus. Along with these exhibits is the “Little Giant” which is the world’s smallest working replica of an early-day electric mining shovel that was constructed on a scale of one inch to one foot. It is complete down to the last detail.
Beyond these exhibits, we also learned how dedicated coal miners are to protecting the environment and that reclamation of mined land is an integral part of the surface mining cycle. Typically, after the coal seams are exposed and the coal extracted, the miners replace the overburden that had been piled off to the side and implement bulldozers and other equipment to reshape the land into its original contours. Topsoil is replaced, reseeded and re-vegetated plus trees are replanted.
This was evidenced as the Big Brutus site which sits on a beautiful reclaimed property with some of the pits turned into well-stocked fishing holes containing bass and other gaming fish plus a site that is also considered a decent place for hunting quail, turkey, small game and deer.
I have to say, I really enjoyed this visit and think it was a great start to our trip! The day we visited was a cold and rainy late fall day but the beauty of the property was quite evident. If you are in Southwest Kansas, I recommend you stop by. The entire tour of Big Brutus and the museum took approximately 1.5 hours.
Oh and for those of you who are camping/RVing like us…
The Center has hot showers available along with primitive camping and space for self-contained RV’s. There are 10 water/electrical hook-ups and a dump station. Picnic tables and a shelter are also available. When we were there on November 22, 2016, overnight RV parking was $15 and the cost to visit the site & museum was $8 for adults, $7.50 for senior citizens and $5.00 for children between 6-12 (kids 5 and under are free).
Big Brutus is located at
6509 NW 60th St,
West Mineral, Kansas
Open year round but hours vary so do yourself a favor and call before arriving.
620-827-6177.
Leave a Reply