The Insane Marion Machines

In 1884, three men in Marion, Ohio founded a company that would dig the Panama Canal, build the Hoover Dam, and send astronauts to the moon. This is the untold story of Marion Power Shovel Company.

For 113 years, Marion Power Shovel created some of the largest land vehicles ever built. Their machines reshaped the American landscape, excavating 260 million cubic yards for the Panama Canal, removing 5.5 million cubic yards for the Hoover Dam, and digging beneath the Hudson River for the Holland Tunnel. At its peak, 90% of all large steam shovels in America came from this single Ohio town.

In 1965, Marion built "The Captain" – the Marion 6360 – a 15,000-ton monster that stood 200 feet tall and moved 809 million cubic yards of earth during its lifetime. That same year, they delivered two massive crawler-transporters to NASA that carried every Saturn V rocket and Space Shuttle to the launch pad. Those crawlers are still in service today, transporting rockets for the Artemis missions.

This video tells the complete story of Marion Power Shovel Company, from its founding in 1884 to its closure in 1997. Discover how steam-powered shovels evolved into electric giants, how Marion equipment dominated coal mining operations, and why this pioneering company ultimately disappeared.
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