Over the last 130 years, more than 32,000 machines have been produced at the former Bucyrus Steam Shovel and Dredge Company manufacturing facility in South Milwaukee.
When the plant opened in 1893 to improve and expand Bucyrus Steam Shovel and Dredge Company’s production facilities, there were only 44 states in the union., Grover Cleveland was president, and college basketball was holding its first official game.
Since acquiring Bucyrus in 2011, Caterpillar has produced more than 200 of its 120-tonne (134.4-ton) capacity electric rope shovel models at the plant, initially under the Bucyrus name and now as Caterpillar.
“We are proud of our long heritage in South Milwaukee, the impact the equipment produced at this location has had on the global market over the last 130 years, and the talented and dedicated team continuing the tradition of excellence in the production and support of Cat electric rope shovels and draglines,” says Jeremy Niedens, facility manager South Milwaukee for Caterpillar.
Machines produced at the former Bucyrus South Milwaukee plant have been part of some historic excavations, including the Panama Canal.Caterpillar
Machines produced at the South Milwaukee plant have been part of some historic excavations, including the California Gold Rush; New York State's barge canal enlargement project, the largest U.S. earthmoving project between 1902 and 1912; and the Panama Canal.
According to company records, a total of 77 Bucyrus 40- to 50-ton steam-powered shovels produced at the Milwaukee facility were used to dig the Panama Canal.
