Bucyrus International Inc., formerly Bucyrus-Erie Company, celebrates 125 years of building heavy excavating machinery, including the largest earthmovers ever to roam the planet. Founded in 1880 by Daniel P. Eells and a group of business associates, the company built a diverse range of machines and grew to become the leading supplier of walking draglines, shovels, and drills to the surface mining industry. With its acquired companies, such as Marion Power Shovel and Ransomes & Rapier, Bucyrus built the entire roster of giant stripping shovels in the western world, and the record-breaking "Big Muskie" walking dragline. Over 90 percent of the giant walking draglines working today have been built by the Bucyrus companies.

Bucyrus, famous for its bratwurst and its hand-hammered copper kettles, was settled in 1817. The name Bucyrus is derived from two words, beautiful" and "Cyrus," a king of Persia. In 1913, the Lincoln Highway (America's first transcontinental road) was built through Bucyrus. It was traversed by bootleggers during Prohibition, and some buildings and streets in town even had underground escape routes. Bucyrus is full of beautiful historic homes and buildings, many of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a city of industry, home to Timken Roller Bearing Company, maker of bearings for over 100 years and also the maker of powerboats, rubber hoses, mining machinery, and plows."

Bill Elder's memoir, "The Bucyrus That Was," is a story about growing up in Small Town, America, during the Golden Age of the 1950s. The book begins with the Elder family moving from their home in Alabama to Ohio shortly after the end of World War II in search of the American Dream, i.e., improving their lot financially. After a short stay in Marion, Ohio, the Elders moved to Bucyrus where they took up residence in the notorious Railroad Street area. Needless to say, a young Bill Elder encountered many adventures and made a host of colorful friends during his stay in the tumultuous neighborhood. Elder describes in colorful detail some of his childhood escapades and the ups and downs of his teenage years, including the profound effect that his conservative Christian upbringing had on his life. He explores the importance of sports in the 1950s culture and reviews the hangouts that were popular with the local young people. Finally, he gives a general overview of what Bucyrus was like during this era, including an honest look at the darker side of the decade. Elder's engaging, humorous, tell-it-like-it-is style makes "The Bucyrus That Was" a memoir that will refresh a reader's perspective on the 1950s and prove well worth reading.