This 100-ton Monighan mining machine, near Sumpter, actually "walked" in its search for gold-bearing gravels. (Baker City Herald File Photo/S. John Collins).

By LISA BRITTON

Baker City Herald

The 89-year-old Monighan mining machine will move to its new home at the Sumpter Cracker Creek Museum of Mining on Sunday.

The metal behemoth, idle for 67 years, once moved 6,000 pounds of dirt in a single scoop and was outfitted with feet that andquot;walkedandquot; the 100-ton machine to a new plot of land.

The Monighan has been on permanent loan to the CCMM since 2003 when Mary Robinson donated it to the museum. Robinson’s late husband, Pug, bought the machine in the late 1960s.

Keith Haddock, national director of the Historic Construction Equipment Association, figures this machine, built in 1919, is the oldest of its kind in the United States, said Nils Christensen, president of CCMM.

andquot;There are only three in the country, and this is the oldest,andquot; Christensen said.

CCMM began the project to move the Monighan about three years ago, and the plan then was to restore it to the point it could walk, under its own power, to the museum site about three-eighths of a mile to the north.

However, the dragline sat out in the brush with no easy access, so CCMM members decided to move it to the museum site and then begin restoration.

The Monighan will be placed on a steel sled and then dragged to its resting place by two bulldozers.

andquot;We had to get it up on something,andquot; Christensen said.

The moving process should begin around 9 a.m. Sunday, and the public is invited to watch. The best place is in the field at the Sumpter fairgrounds on Austin Street.

andquot;They can’t actually walk into where we’re doing this, but they can see it,andquot; Christensen said.

He can’t even offer a guess about how long the move will take.

andquot;Until you hook on and start moving, you don’t really know,andquot; he said. andquot;We don’t even know how much this thing weighs but it weighs a lot.andquot;

Restoration work can begin once the Monighan is settled at the Cracker Creek Museum.

andquot;We want to restore it and show people what it did and how it worked,andquot; Christensen said.

He also hopes the giant machine will catch the attention of those who drive past the museum.

andquot;At the museum, people will see it and want to get involved. That’s the hope, anyway,andquot; he said.

The Cracker Creek Museum of Mining is located on the main road into Sumpter. Though the site isn’t staffed, visitors can take self-guided tours to see the antique mining equipment.

Christensen said an information kiosk is almost complete, which will include photographs and history about the hard rock mines that operated on Cracker Creek.

andquot;We have equipment (at the museum), but id don’t mean much until you can tie it to the operation,andquot; he said.

The CCMM is nonprofit and operates on grants, donations and memberships, which are $20 for individuals and $35 for a family.

A Monighan Restoration Fund also has been established. Donations may be sent to: CCMM, 2465 18th St., Baker City, OR 97814.

To become a member or to volunteer for restoration projects, call Christensen at 523-3381.