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.

Beginning in 1956 each vol. includes as a regular number the Blue book of southern progress and the Southern industrial directory, formerly issued separately.