The story
Founded by Edward Huber in 1884.1
Marion Steam Shovel Company
The Marion Steam Shovel Company was established by Henry Barnhart, George W. King and Edward Huber in August 1884. While steam shovels had been made prior to this date in the United States, Barnhart persuaded Huber to financially back his design, which incorporated a stronger bucket support than other makes. Barnhart and Huber patented Barnhart's changes under US Patent No. 285,100 on September 18, 1883. One element of Barnhart's design was the use of solid iron rods (hog rings) to support the boom of the shovel, which was stronger than simple chain.
Marion built large and small steam shovels for building contractors, railroads and the US Army Corps of Engineers who were building the Panama Canal at the time. The company, from between 1902 and 1911, shipped 24 shovels to Panama for the construction of the canal. One set the record in July 1908 for moving 53,000 cubic yards (41,000 m3) of earth in 25 eight-hour days after American project management began.
By 1911 90% of all large bucket steam shovels and draglines were produced in Marion Ohio, which was also the headquarters of Osgood Steam Shovel, Fairbanks Steam Shovel and General Excavating Corporation. (Future head-to-head competitor Bucyrus Steam Shovel was founded 15 miles (24 km) from Marion in nearby Bucyrus, Ohio, and relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1893 after Bucyrus city officials refused to approve expansion plans for the company.)
Towards the end of WWI the company assembled M1918 railway guns utilizing a repurposed M1895 12 inch 45 caliber coastal defense gun. The only remaining example was stored for testing purposes at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren VA until 2011 when it was moved to Fort Lee, VA for inclusion in the U.S. Army Ordnance Training and Heritage Center.
Marion excavators were used during construction of Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works in the Soviet Union in 1930s. Marion was the first fоreign machine there, in 1930. Poet Boris Ruchyov wrote the "Ballad of Excavator Marion" [Баллада об экскаваторе Марион] on this occasion.
Marion Power Shovel
In April 1946, the company changed its name to the Marion Power Shovel Company to more closely reflect its products.
Marion built its first walking dragline in 1939 and became a key player in providing giant stripping shovels to the coal industry, being the first to put a long-boom revolving stripping shovel to work in North America in 1911. Marion’s succession of giant shovels, many breaking world size records, starting with The Mountaineer in 1956 which was 16 stories. One shovel load moved approximately 90 tons, which was then one of the world's largest power shovels. Marion's huge power shovel models eventually culminated in the world’s largest: the 1965 Marion 6360. The 6360 at the Captain Mine, Illinois, operated with a 180 cubic yard (138 cubic meter) dipper. With an estimated weight of 15,000 tons (13,600 tonnes), this machine is one of the heaviest mobile land machines ever built.
Marion designed and built the NASA Crawler-transporter used to transport both the Saturn V rocket, as well as the Space Shuttle.
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Osgood Company acquisition
In 1955, Marion Power Shovel acquired its crosstown rival, the Osgood Company, which manufactured shovels under the Marion-Osgood and Osgood names. Osgood's product line complemented Marion Power Shovel's, with most of Osgood's product line focusing on shovels, cranes and draglines that were small capacity machines as opposed to Marion's line, which focused increasingly on high end strip mining draglines. Osgood also built road-ready mobile units that used Mack truck undercarriages.
From Wikipedia’s article on Marion Power Shovel Company, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4