Joseph Benjamin Keeper (January 17, 1886 – September 29, 1971) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

, and a member of the 1912 Canadian Olympic team.

Early and personal life

Joseph Benjamin Keeper, a member of the

Norway House Cree Nation The Norway House Cree Nation (''Kinosao Sipi'') () is based at Norway House, Manitoba, which is on the Playgreen Lake section of the Nelson River system. The people are Swampy Cree from the Rocky Cree ( or ) band government. They are in possessio ...

, was born at Walker Lake, Manitoba. He was sent to Brandon for schooling at the Brandon Indian Residential School, and it was while there that he showed an enthusiasm for long-distance running. During his upbringing, he was raised to practice the Methodist religion. In 1916, Keeper joined the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

and served for two years in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He received The

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

for his actions at Cambrai during WWI. In 1917, Keeper joined with

Tom Longboat Thomas Charles Longboat (4 July 18869 January 1949, Iroquois name: Cogwagee) was an Onondaga distance runner from the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario and, for much of his career, the dominant long-distance runner. He was known as t ...

to win an inter-Allied cross country championship near

Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of ...

. Longboat, Keeper, and other First Nation long-distance runners A. Jamieson and John Nackaway served as dispatch carriers for the 107th Pioneer Battalion. In addition to the Military Medal, Keeper received the

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men and women of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were st ...

and the Victory Medal. Following the war, he returned to Winnipeg, where he worked as a carpenter, before moving back to the northern part of the province, where he worked for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

until he retired in 1951. He and his wife, Christina McLeod had four sons and three daughters. He is the grandfather of actress and Canadian politician

Tina Keeper Christina Jean Keeper (born March 20, 1962) is a Cree actress, film producer and former politician from Canada.

Career

In 1910, Keeper moved to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, where he joined the North End Amateur Athletic Club. The following year, he set a Canadian record for the ten-mile run. In 1912, he was selected to the Canadian Olympic team and participated at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. He raced in the 5000 metre run and in the 10,000 metre run, where he finished fourth in the 10,000 and ninth in the 5,000, the best result ever for a Canadian runner in those events. His 5000-meter and 10,000 meter personal bests also came from the 1912 Stockholm games where he ran a time of 15:28.9 for the 5000 and 32:36.2 for the 10,000 meter run. Keeper was inducted into the

Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame is an honour roll of the top Canadian Olympic athletes, teams, coaches, and builders (officials, administrators, and volunteers). It was established in 1949. Selections are made by a committee appointed by the Cana ...

and

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...

in 2015 and also the

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

in 1984.

Legacy

The Joe Keeper Memorial Run (now the Joe Keeper -

Angela Chalmers Angela Chalmers (born September 6, 1963) is a Canadian retired track and field athlete who competed in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres. She is the 1992 Olympic bronze medallist in the 3000 metres, and a three-time Commonwealth gold medallist, w ...

celebration run) is held each spring by the Manitoba Runners’ Association. The Norway House Cree Nation holds memorial races in Keeper's name.

References

External links

Photo of Joe Keeper running in a 1918 Dominion Day raceDewar, J. D. ''Joe Keeper: Runner of the Northwest''
(.pdf file)
Service File at the Library and Archives of Canada
(.pdf file) *Kidd, Bruce ''The Struggle for Canadian Sport '', *Miller, James Rodger, ''Shingwauk's Vision: A History of Native Residential Schools'', * {{DEFAULTSORT:Keeper, Joe 1886 births 1971 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1912 Summer Olympics Canadian male long-distance runners Canadian military personnel of World War I Cree sportspeople Olympic track and field athletes for Canada Sportspeople from Manitoba People from Northern Region, Manitoba First Nations sportspeople Canadian Indigenous military personnel 20th-century First Nations people Canadian recipients of the Military Medal