Generations of Ironworkers

Iroquois ironworkers, especially the Mohawks, are legendary for their dizzying work in erecting skyscrapers and steel bridges, and construction work attracted many Iroquois people to urban areas. Mohawks have walked and worked on nearly all of New York's towering buildings, including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Center. They came to Pittsburgh to work on the U.S. Steel Building, the Civic Arena, and the Fort Pitt Bridge, among others.

Generations of Iroquois men have followed in this profession, which began in 1886 with the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway bridge across the Saint Lawrence River. To obtain permission to build the south abutment of the bridge on reservation land, the construction company agreed to hire men from the Kahnawake Reservation.

Some Iroquois compare working the iron to another chapter in their history. Once as hunters and warriors they left their homes for extended periods to travel long distances, earning a living for their families back home, making their personal reputations, and seeking adventures.

Now Native people from all over the country are being trained as ironworkers in the National Ironworkers Training Program for American Indians. Walking the high steel earns a good wage, but it also is a source of pride.