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

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) 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 ...

long-distance runner, 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 ( cr, Kinosao Sipi, ᑭᓄᓭᐏ ᓰᐱᐩ. SRO: kinosêwi-sîpiy) is based at Norway House, Manitoba, which is located on the Playgreen Lake section of the Nelson River system. The people are Swampy Cree from the Ro ...

, was born at Walker Lake, Manitoba. He was sent to

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

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 (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, and served for two years in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. 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 armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...

for his actions at Cambrai during WWI. In 1917, Keeper joined with Tom Longboat 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 of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in si ...

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; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

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 Tina Keeper, OM (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 province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

, 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 at Stockholm, Sweden. 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 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, wi ...

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
_race.html" ;"title="Dominion Day">Photo of Joe Keeper running in a 1918 Dominion Day
race">Dominion Day">Photo of Joe Keeper running in a 1918 Dominion Day
racebr>Joe Keeper entry at the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame websiteDewar, 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 people Olympic track and field athletes of 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