Big Brutus: One of the Biggest Attractions in Kansas!

ByDoug and Randee
Big Brutus , the world's largest electric shovel

Imagine driving down a rural road in southeast Kansas, farmland for the most part, and seeing a piece of technology extending 16 stories, 160 feet, into the air! Well, when you do, you know you’re close to Big Brutus. If you are looking for an activity that appeals to all ages in Southeast Kansas, Cherokee County to be exact, just a short drive from Pittsburg or Parsons, Big Brutus is for you.

Why Big Brutus is Worth Stopping For

Big Brutus is the largest remaining electric shovel in the United States. It speaks of the rich and extensive mining history of this part of Southeast Kansas, which was known as the Little Balkans because of the number of miners who moved here from the Balkans to work in the coal mines. Coal was mined in this area from 1874 to about 1974. It was THE major industry in this area during that time.

The shovel was built by the Bucyrus-Erie company for the Pittsburg and Midway Coal Company in 1963. It was built in Milwaukee, WI and then the parts were brought to Hallowell KS, a few miles south of where it currently sits, and assembled there. It operated for about 11 years before the changing environment of laws and regulations shut it down for good.

The sheer size of the shovel delights most visitors, including kids!  We rarely get to explore such a huge piece of industrial equipment even though most of us are fascinated by them when we see them. I remember reading picture books as a child that personified these giant shovels and thinking how cool they were. Now, you can actually investigate one. Getting to go up inside the inner workings of the shovel is different from almost any other travel experience you can have!

After living in southeast Kansas for 18 years, we finally decided to pay Big Brutus a visit. I was afraid it was just a tourist trap or something kind of cheesy, but I was so pleasantly surprised! The operation is well-run, informative, and interesting. It’s run by Big Brutus Inc. We felt it was about two hours well-spent.

Operating Hours and Pricing

The site is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hours vary from winter to summer.

  • From March through November, the site is open from 9:00-5:00.
  • From November to March, they are open from 9:00-4:00

The price is reasonable:

  • $10 for adults
  • $9 for senior citizens and military personnel
  • $5.50 for kids 12 and under
  • 5 and under are free.

The Big Iron Overland Rally featuring live music is held in the fall at Big Brutus.  Check that out if you enjoy live music in an outdoor environment!

What to Expect When You Arrive

Once you arrive, you’ll enter through the museum. An RV park is on the north side of the museum, so if you are pulling your own housing, this would be an incredibly quiet place to spend a night. There are full hookups.

On the south side of the museum is a picnic pavilion and plenty of open space. If you have kids or pets, this could be a great place to eat lunch and let them get some energy out before you hit the road again.

If you are traveling with an elderly person or someone with accessibility issues, the museum and the grounds will be interesting and enjoyable, but the shovel itself is not accessible just due to its design as a functional piece of industrial equipment. However, there are many pleasant benches on the grounds and paths that give a person who can’t climb up in the shovel a place to sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery and the antique mining equipment on the grounds. My mother, who uses a walker, enjoyed just taking a leisurely pace along the path, stopping to sit on a bench when she needed to, and reading the signs on the mining exhibits.

The museum isn’t large, but it’s full of exhibits. It has exhibits with memorabilia specifically about Big Brutus and the local mining operation as well as exhibits about coal mining in general.

Exhibits of mining equipment in the museum at Big Brutus

The museum also has a film about the building and operation of the Big Brutus. The original supervisor on the job took home movies as it was being built and many of them are featured in the film. It is worth the time to watch the film just to appreciate the enormity of what you are about to see outside. I believe it was about 20 minutes long if you are worried about how much time you are spending there.

We enjoyed spending some time looking through the museum before going outside to see the shovel itself.

Once you go out through the museum, you are heading directly along the path out to the shovel. You’ll be passing other bits of old mining equipment that are on display and plenty of benches along the way.

As you walk down the path towards the shovel, you will see the water beyond. That isn’t a lake. That’s a coal strip mine that has been allowed to fill with water and is now part of the Mined Land Wildlife Area. All the strip mines in this area have been reclaimed for wildlife and recreation. Take a walk on down to the edge of the water and enjoy how beautiful the land has become after being an industrially mined site for so many years.

Doug standing in the bucket of Big Brutus

Once you get to the shovel, take a moment to just marvel at how large it is! At the front of the mine, the area nearest the water, you can stand inside the bucket and take a picture to give perspective to its size. This is the picture that everyone who comes here is sure to take. Just for reference, this is Doug in the bucket, and he’s 6’4″. That bucket could hold 150 tons of coal which is enough to fill 3 train cars! However, the shovel didn’t actual dig up the coal. It removed the dirt and rocks from above the veins so that the smaller shovels could get to the veins of coal. There is a regular sized-shovel sitting next to Big Brutus just to show the difference between them.

You can head on up into the shovel itself via stairs at the front. Note that there are numbered signs all through Big Brutus to explain how it operated. These are well-worth stopping to read. One of the most amazing facts we learned from them is that it only took 3 people to run this machine! In the summer, it can get hot inside, but there is one air conditioned area and that is the operator’s cab. It’s a small area, but you can get some relief from the heat if you need it.

Numbered informational signs at Big Brutus

Once you get up into the “house,” it’s easy to forget that you are inside a vehicle. It will feel like you are in some kind of factory or something like that. However, it is a vehicle, and it did move from place to place at about .2 miles per hour.

How to get to Big Brutus

You will be able to see Big Brutus well before you arrive there. If you are traveling on Highway 400, which would be the most common way to travel in this part of SEK, you’ll turn south on NW 60th Street and drive about 3 1/2 miles. You don’t have to worry about missing it since it is visible from a distance. The address is in West Mineral, but the town is a couple of miles away.

Big Brutus is close enough to Pittsburg that it makes a pleasant side trip if you are visiting Pittsburg State University or something else there. It’s only about 22 miles, so less than 1/2 an hour’s drive. From Parsons, it’s about the same 24 miles. You’ll be driving through farmland and forested areas. Once you turn south off Highway 400, the road is ok, but not perfect.

How to prepare for your visit to Big Brutus

Summers in Kansas can be quite hot! If you are coming during the hot months, mid-June through at least the end of August, think about bringing:

  • Water
  • Sun hats
  • Sunscreen

Spring weather can be gorgeous here in SEK, but rain is frequent, so check the forecast since you will be outside most of the time. Carrying an umbrella in the spring isn’t a bad idea.

Fall is the most beautiful time to visit most places in Kansas and Big Brutus is no exception. Temperatures are mild and the skies are usually clear. It’s a great time to explore the outdoor exhibits and, of course, the shovel itself.

Winter is unpredictable. We can have mild winters that rarely need a coat, but we can also have harsh winters, so always check the forecast for a winter visit.

Remember that Big Brutus is in a very rural area, even though it is just a short drive from Pittsburg, Parsons, or Columbus, so be sure to get gas or snacks before you get off Highway 400. West Mineral is only about 150 people, so you won’t find much there if you need to refill on something.

Mining History in SEK

Coal mining was the prominent industry in this area for 100 years.  Many residents remember working for the mines or that their parents provided their living working for these mines.  While it is considered to be ecologically devastating to the environment today, working for the mines provided a good income for the people in this area for many years.  Those mining years are remembered proudly in this area they show the work ethic and determination of the people involved.

It was a dangerous job in the early years when underground shaft mining was done. The “Amazon Army” of miner’s female relatives protested for 3 days to try to change the atmosphere of working conditions for the miners.  It was illegal for the miners to protect for themselves, so the women did it for them.  It was reported as far away as New York and helped move toward a safer mining industry.

Eventually, the shafts were closed down due to the coal running short, making strip mining more efficient and productive than shaft mining. Changing environmental laws, more competition from eastern coal mines, and the coal veins being depleted had even the strip mining shut down by the 1980’s.  

Other mining history sites in SEK

Other Things to Do in the Area

Doug is a native Kansan and Randee is a longtime resident. As people who love both Kansas and have spent lots of their lives traveling, we want to help others see all the amazing and fun things there are to do here in Kansas, the beautiful Sunflower State. Learn more about us on our About Page!