Episode Details

We make a special bonus show EVERY WEEK for Maximum Fun members. Get them all by supporting the podcast at https://maximumfun.org/join/. And please enjoy this special public release of the bonus show for Episode 267 ("Lunch Atop A Skyscraper").

Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin explore the obviously incredibly fascinating topic of Mohawk ironworkers who build (and rebuild) New York City, the Montreal bridge project that sparked their community's ironwork traditions, and the little-known recent past of Boerum Hill.

RESEARCH SOURCES:

• How Mohawk ‘Skywalkers’ Helped Build New York City’s Tallest Skyscrapers (History.com)
• A Wigwam in Brooklyn (WNYC Public Radio)
• Little Caughnawaga (The Brooklyn Rail)
• Skywalkers: A Portrait of Mohawk Ironworkers at the World Trade Center (9/11 Memorial & Museum)
• 10 Fascinating Facts About the Photograph ‘Lunch Atop a Skyscraper’ (Mental Floss) -- this is one source repeating the claim Peter Rice might be in the photo. It's possible and not certain.
• Victoria Bridge (Canadian Society for Civil Engineering)
• When Little Italy Was Big (PBS Channel Thirteen New York City)
• Exhibitions: Native New York (Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian)