Emmit Hoyl, Nederland. On Wednesday, January 13, 2021, Nederland Area Historical Society (NAHS) members Dan Martin, Marcus Palmer, and Emmit Hoyl braved the cold to fire up the Bucyrus 50-B steam shovel located next to the mining museum. 

They did it on a blustery January day, because the Discovery Channel decided that day was the day to film the shovel in operation for their American Built television show. The episode, which will feature the steam shovel, is focused on the construction of the Panama Canal, and will feature an interview with Dan Martin as well as footage of the shovel in operation. 

Not only is our Town’s steam shovel the only operating Bucyrus 50-B left in the country, but it also helped dig the Panama Canal during its heyday! After a stint in Panama, it made its way to Colorado, working in a quarry in Golden before being bought by the Durand brothers in 1949, who hauled it up to Gilpin County. 

The shovel was used in a placer mining operation in Lump Gulch where it was left idle in a pit of its own making. Thirty years later members of the Nederland Area Historical Society spearheaded by Dan Martin, resurrected the beast, and brought it to Nederland where it has lived ever since. Dan and the team were featured on Mega Movers a History Channel show that aired in 2005 when they moved the shovel. It has been operated in its current location intermittently over the years during special events. 

The shovel originally ran on steam power, but since the current boiler burned out years ago, Dan converted it to run on compressed air supplied by a portable air compressor.  Recently Emmit placed some eyes on the shovel’s bucket that are reminiscent of the eyes on MaryAnne, the steam shovel operated by Mike Mulligan, in the popular kids book Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton. 

“I read that book to my son once a month, and the idea popped into my head one evening that she needed some eyes!” says Emmit. 

Emmit posted on the Nedheads Facebook group that the shovel would be operating on Wednesday, and a passel of kids showed up to watch. A couple days later, the mother of Forrest Kehoe sent a picture of the Lego model that he had built to look like MaryAnne. “They just love seeing that thing operate,” said Emmit. “I hope we can do this more often”.

For everyone who enjoys seeing the steam shovel running, or hearing the toot of its whistle, please consider donating to the Nederland Area Historical Society to keep it going! It requires annual maintenance, the air compressor used to run it costs a thousand dollars per rental, there is an ongoing project to rebuild the cracked crowding motor, and a new boiler would cost $100,000.

Help to get it running again this summer! There’s a donation box on the steam shovel or you can mail the NAHS at PO Box 1252, Nederland CO 80466.

(Originally published in the January 21, 2021, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)