To Walk the Sky by Patricia Morris Buckley

In To Walk the Sky, young readers learn how Iroquois men became steelworkers.

To Walk the Sky: How Iroquois Steelworkers Helped Build Towering Cities by Patricia Morris Buckley, illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Heartdrum, 2025. 40 pages.

• Reading Level: Picture books, ages 8-10
• Recommended For: Ages 8-12

It began in eastern Canada, when Mohawks from the Caughnawaga reserve desperately needed work. A bridge company wanted to use some of the reserve’s land to build a bridge. The tribal elders agreed with one provision: the company must hire Caughnawagan workers. Initially these men were given unskilled roles, but soon they became known for their love of heights, scaling the bridge after hours to enjoy the tight-rope thrill of navigating the beams. This earned them the nickname “skywalkers” and opened a new way for Native men to support their families as they were promoted to iron-working. It also led to unspeakable tragedy. 

In 1907, the longest railroad bridge project in the world, attempting to span across the St. Lawrence River, collapsed. 75 Native men were lost; 33 from the Caughnawaga reserve, including all 4 sons from one family. After that, “clan mothers, who decided what was best for the whole tribe, ruled that all men in one family could not work on the same project.”

Despite this tragedy, metalworking still provided an excellent job for Native men. By 1916, men from Caughnawagan were working on the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City. Over time, Mohawk skywalkers were joined by men from the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy as well as Algonquins. These skywalkers would work on the most iconic buildings and bridges of America, including the Two Towers. In fact, this is still a career for many today. 

Endnotes provide even more fascinating historical information as well as a list of well-known buildings that were constructed by skywalkers.

Bottom Line: A fascinating, lyrical introduction to the Native men who found a profession high above the sidewalks, and learned To Walk the Sky.

Recommended Reading at Redeemed Reader

• Book Reviews: Books about building and engineering marvels abound. Check out The Invention Hunters series, Who Built That?, and our Go Build Something booklist for more reading ideas.
• Book Reviews: See our roundup of Native American traditional tales for more picture book ideas. See also Chooch Helped, a recent Caldecott winner.
• Book Reviews: Want more nonfiction picture books for this age group? Are We There Yet?, Our World by the Numbers, and Black History Month Picture Books for Middle Grades are all good options.

You may purchase To Walk the Sky on Amazon.