The history of North America is intertwined with the history of local unions across our two nations, from the cities we help build to the communities that we connect.
SMART Local 36 retirees are demonstrating that fact in St. Louis, bringing a piece of Missouri and local union history back to life by restoring a historic steamboat replica.
“Our retirees, with the coordination skills of brother Ed Hoganson, have already put in countless hours in this restoration project,” Local 36 Business Manager Ray Reasons told the Labor Tribune. “The years of dedicated service and skill sets they possess will be key in the restoration of this highly complicated project.
Our retirees always amaze me with their willingness to give back to our organization and worthy causes.”
The original steamboat, the SS Admiral — built in 1907, rebuilt in 1937, operated on the Mississippi River from 1940 to 1978, converted to an amusement center and finally a floating gambling venue — was taken apart for scrap in 2011. The replica of the Admiral, a 20-foot scaled structure built in 1980, was a product of the craftsmanship and expertise of late Local 36 Instructor Wayne Lavanchy, along with Local 36 apprentices.
“It was a project he wanted to do with the apprentices, and they could learn layout and welding skills, and it would also be a good promotional thing for the union and the training school,” said retiree Ed Hoganson in the same Tribune article. “It was a two-year project with him and the apprentices.”
The local sold the replica to the owners of the Admiral around 35 years ago. As the actual boat changed hands, the replica was passed around too, eventually ending up in a Missouri museum called the Antique Warehouse. When the museum’s owner died, the Tribune reported, Hoganson asked if Local 36 could take back custody of the replica.
The replica Admiral that the local received after decades apart was not in museum shape. That’s where the retirees came into play.
Using original blueprints from the actual SS Admiral steamboat, around 20 retired Local 36 sheet metal workers have been working to restore the replica since March 2025, with the goal of completion by March 2026. Once completed, Hoganson told the Tribune, the National Museum of Transportation has agreed to display the restored replica steamboat as part of an exhibition on the 100th anniversary of historic Route 66.
“I’m really proud of the work our members are doing,” he added in the Labor Tribune article. “We’ll have hundreds of hours wrapped up in the project when it is complete in March.”
There are similar examples of history hidden in plain sight in cities and towns — and local SMART unions — across the United States and Canada. From historic railroads to the sheet metal work performed on some of our nations’ best-known monuments, SMART and organized labor have built and powered North America for generations.
Making those stories heard is how we ensure our neighbors know that our countries’ histories were created by working people. Great work, Local 36!
Based on reporting by the Labor Tribune, labortribune.com.