Mike Mulligan had a steam shovel.. a beautiful red Steam Shovel named Mary Anne..

Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel

This was a children’s book by Virginia Lee Burton.

It was first published in 1939, in the wake of the Great Depression, it features Mike Mulligan, a steam shovel operator, and his steam shovel Mary Anne.

The plot of the story:

After many years of working successfully together, Mike and his classic steam shovel Mary Anne face competition from more modern gasoline, electric, and diesel motor shovels. Seeking an area of the country where his classic steam shovel can still find work, Mike finds a small town that is about to build a new town hall. The authorities react with disbelief when Mike claims that he and his steam shovel Mary Anne can dig the cellar in a single day; they protest that it would take a hundred men a week. Mike insists that Mary Anne can finish the job in one day, though he privately has some doubts.

At sunup the next day, Mike and Mary Anne begin work and just complete the task by sundown. But, they neglected to dig a ramp for driving out of the construction pit. A watching child suggests that Mike take the job of janitor for the town hall, and that Mary Anne should be converted to a boiler for the town hall’s heating system.

 

This book was an inspiration to me as a child.. I was read this story countless times by my mom and dad.. brother and sister.. And I was called to the task of passing it on to my own son so many decades later..

Mike Mulligan accomplished quite a bit.. but newer technology came along to make a new reality.. what is not talked about in Virginia Burton’s book is what happens after the gas shovels came along..

What would Mike Mulligan do!?