Mohawk Ironworkers

New York City’s World Trade Center is ingrained in Mohawk ironwork history. Mohawk ironworkers across generations reflect on their work on the original towers, 9/11 and building One World Trade Center and 3 World Trade Center.

Mohawk ironworkers helped clear the wreckage of the Twin Towers after 9/11, but no one was the health risks that came with it. Several Mohawk ironworkers look back on the cleanup, its impact and their work on One World Trade Center.

Mike Swamp shows off the Akwesasne Ironworkers Festival, a chance for ironworkers to show off their skills and win the “Ultimate Ironworkers” award. But it’s also a time to honour the ironworkers of the past and present.

Aspiring ironworkers go to school and get certified through a rigorous training process. Kahnawake Mohawks travel to Montreal for the only English-language apprenticeship in the area. William Cook runs the training program in Akwesasne.

Kahnawake’s Albert Stalk began as most ironworkers do – by picking up the trade from his father. But soon, he became world-renowned for his daring feats, earning a reputation after he became the first person to climb the Eiffel Tower without safety gear.

In the 1920s, New York City was the most popular area for Mohawk ironworkers, who went on to help build the skyline and some of its famous structures. Follow the story of Mohawk ironworkers living in “Little Caughnawaga” – also known as modern-day Brooklyn.