Historical marker unveiled honoring Big Muskie excavator

Jun 13, 2025

MCCONNELSVILLE, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) recently unveiled a historical marker at Jesse Owens State Park honoring, “one of the most extraordinary engineering feats in mining history."

That engineering feat they’re talking about? Big Muskie.

It was a massive “walking dragline,” an excavator that weighed 27 million pounds and could displace 325 tons of earth with every scoop.

“Big Muskie wasn’t just a machine, it was a symbol of American industry, ambition, and the evolution of energy production,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said in a press release. “By preserving its story at Jesse Owens State Park, we’re recognizing both the ingenuity that defined an era and the environmental awareness that followed. This historical marker gives Ohioans the chance to reflect on how far we've come and where we want to go next.”

According to ODNR, Big Muskie had been 240 feet tall and 480 feet long. It was retired after Clean Air Act amendments and, in 1999, the goliath of a mining machine was dismantled.

However, you can still see the massive bucket, measuring at 220 cubic yards, at Miner’s Memorial Park, according to the release.

“The (historical) marker tells the story of coal’s ancient origins and Ohio’s long-standing relationship with the resource—from its discovery in 1748 and continuing through centuries of underground and surface mining techniques,” the release reads. “It also highlights ODNR’s continued role in regulating and restoring mine lands while safeguarding Ohio’s natural resources.”