Big Brutus

West Mineral Kansas lay just over the county line in Cherokee County, If you blink you might miss the town, I think I saw a bar. I can assure you drive down back roads you will not miss Big Brutus. The first view is Brutus towering over a line of trees. It reminded me a lot of a Godzilla Movie.

Brutus is the second largest electric shovel in the world.In hasn't been used in several years and a group of citizens saved it from being scrap iron in the 1980's.It you ever played in a sand box with a tonka toy shovel, I think maybe you could imagine Big Brutus.16 stories high and you can see from the picture just how small the people sitting up the stage for a concert that evening are . It was easily voted one of the 8 wonders of Kansas and would probably qualify for most any other state as well. As the map at the visitor center shows , people come from around the world to see it. The other two pictures are also from the visitor center and talk about Coal Mining. According to Pam Grout's book "Kansas Curiosities", this is the second time I've mentioned the book, so it must be good, Brooke Shields has actually visited the site. It's also available for weddings. I'll do a separate entry for pictures on the interior and the view from as high hope as we were allowed to go.