1960s-era dragline for coal strip mining, Ohiio

I believe this dragline was named "The GEM of Egypt" - GEM from the equipment maker, and because it operated in what was called the Egypt Valley in ce...
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I believe this dragline was named "The GEM of Egypt" - GEM from the equipment maker, and because it operated in what was called the Egypt Valley in central Ohio.
Visible all around are what has become known as the "plains of Central Ohio" - not just because of the location, but because much of the coal mining was done by Central Ohio Coal Company.
This part of Ohio, on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains, was originally mixed-hardwood forest. After Anglo settlement, plots were cleared for farming - but small and scattered. But after coal strip mining, it takes a long time for trees to move back in, and there is now a large prairie. Prairie birds not often found in central-eastern Ohio are now common there.
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