Big Muskie was a massive walking dragline excavator, the largest ever made. Built in 1969 and designed by Bucyrus Erie – the heavy equipment manufacturing giant that defined industry in South Milwaukee for 130 years – Big Muskie stood nearly 22 stories tall and could move 39 million pounds of earth an hour.
You’ll see a small-scale replica on display at the Bucyrus Museum (1919 12th Ave., South Milwaukee), a fascinating collection of relics, videos, photos and more that tell stories of diggers spanning a century. The guides, some of whom built these massive machines, are troves of industrial knowledge! Open Tues, Thurs, Sat 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
