Joseph Seraphim Fortes was a British-Canadian lifeguard. He was a prominent figure in the early history of Vancouver, and the city's first official lifeguard.
Early life
Joe Fortes was born in 1863 in Port of Spain, Trinidad according to an autobiographical article published in a Vancouver newspaper. According to one source, his father was a Barbadian "of full African blood" and his mother was "entirely or largely" Spanish or Portuguese. Other sources state that Fortes was born in Barbados. After leaving his homeland in his mid-teens, he worked in Britain for several years. In 1884 he sailed around Cape Horn from Liverpool on the Robert Kerr, arriving in Burrard Inlet, a coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, in September 1885. His name occurs repeatedly in the ship's log as Seraphim Fortes.
Arrival in Vancouver
Making his home at English Bay, he lived in a tent on the beach during the milder months of the year. After the start of the 20th century, he moved into a cottage at the foot of Bidwell Street on the shore-side of Beach Avenue. His little house was later moved to the other side of the street, just east of Alexandra Park.
Lifeguarding in English Bay
Joe Fortes devoted all of his free time to teaching children to swim and to patrolling the beach. The self-appointed unpaid guard continued to support himself by working odd jobs until, in 1900, the City appointed him its first official lifeguard. His contemporaries referred to him respectfully and lovingly as "Old Black Joe" or "English Bay Joe". The stocky, dark-skinned man was a friend and teacher to the children, a guard for the bathers and a hero to people in distress. He has been officially credited with saving 29 lives, yet it is believed that the real number is considerably higher. In 1910, the City honoured Joe Fortes for his many years of service to the public by presenting him with a gold watch, a cheque,and an illuminated address.
Legacy
Fortes died on February 4, 1922, at Vancouver General Hospital from a paralytic stroke, about three weeks after being admitted for pneumonia. A record-breaking funeral procession was held for him. Mourners crowded into Holy Rosary Cathedral to bid farewell to a brave, kind and modest friend. Fortes was buried in Mountain View Cemetery. A flat stone marks his grave, simply inscribed: "JOE". On June 24, 1927, the citizens of Vancouver dedicated a monument to Joe Fortes. The fountain in Alexandra Park by sculptor Charles Marega bears the inscription: LITTLE CHILDREN LOVED HIM. On May 20, 1976, the Joe Fortes Branch of the Vancouver Public Library was dedicated to his name and in 1985, one hundred years after he arrived in Canada, the Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House restaurant opened. In 1986, during Vancouver's centennial year, the Vancouver Historical Society named Joseph Seraphim Fortes "Citizen of the Century." In 2002, he was the subject of a National Film Board of Canada animated short Joe, directed by Jill Haras with a voice cast featuring Blu Mankuma. In 2013, Canada Post released a postage stamp of Joe Fortes on February 1 celebrating Black History Month. The stamp's release marks the 150th anniversary of Joe's birth. The stamp was designed by Lara Minja.
