Skywalkers: Mohawk Ironworkers Build the City

Skywalkers: Mohawk Ironworkers Build the City
By: David Weitzman

Have you ever wondered how all those sky scrapers and big steel bridges were built? Who were the people that climbed out on the beams way up in the air? Did they do some of those crazy stunts that show up in the old cartoons? You know, where a character is sleepwalking from 1 swinging beam to another and doesn't fall.

This book tells the story of those men who dared to work on the steel beams so high above the ground. Native Americans from a number of Indian Nations that were collectively known as the Mohawks became the skywalkers. Using narrative text and illustrations to tell an amazing story. Beginning with the early 1600s when the Mohawks regrouped after being decimated by European diseases and worked as boatmen; to becoming suppliers of timber and stone for early bridges these amazing people eventually become the skilled ironworkers who helped to shape the skylines of New York, Chicago, and other cities.

From the review in School Library Journal--"Abundant archival photos and primary-source quotes lend realism and drama to the text."

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Martha
Central Library