Alderville First Nation honours Olympic athlete

By Alderville First Nation Chief David Mowat

I am proud to say that Mississauga Ojibway marathon runner Fred Simpson Sr. (1878-1945), was inducted into the Cobourg and District Sports Hall of Fame on Mar. 1. Miigwech to Fred Simpson III, Stewart Richardson, Ross Quigley and Committee members for this posthumous honour. Simpson was a true pioneer during a short career between 1906-12. He was born and raised in Alderville, under the influence of the Methodist Church. He was the great-grandson of early signatories to Treaty 27 (1819) at Kingston. His grandfather John was a student of William Case, converted to Methodism at the Bay of Quinte in 1828, and toured New York City as one of Case’s examples of the Methodist experience amongst the Mishisagiig (Mississauga) of the Bay. The pinnacle of Simpson’s career was his 6th place finish in the 1908 Olympic Marathon in London, England. Simpson turned professional in early 1909 and raced in Georgia, New York City, Newark, Chicago, Toronto, and Fort William. He died in 1945 in Alderville.

More on the life of Fred Simpson Sr.:

Fred Simpson Sr. (1878-1945) was an Alderville Mississauga Ojibway marathon runner born and raised on the Alderville Indian Reserve. He was the son of James and Mary Simpson, and was raised in the Wesleyan Methodist Church at Alderville, while also learning the traditions of the people such as the gathering of wild rice, fishing and hunting. He lost his parents at a young age and was raised thereafter by his paternal grandmother, eventually taking on manual labour and soon leaving Alderville for the Hiawatha Indian Reserve situated on the north shore of Rice Lake where he married Susan Muskrat around 1900.

A noted lanky, lithe and strong man, Simpson took up road racing by 1906 and within a year was racing in notable events such as the Hamilton Herald Road Race. By 1908, his talents were worthy enough to be invited to the provincial and national Olympic marathon trials for a berth on the Canadian Olympic Marathon Team which would be travelling to the Class 4 Olympiad in London, England, in June of that year. Simpson easily won a berth on the team and in July, he participated in the Olympic marathon that was run from Windsor Castle to Shepherd’s Bush in east London. Along with Tom Longboat, the Six Nations Onondaga and Lewis Tewenina, the American Hopi, it is the only Olympic Marathon in which three North American Indians have lined up at the start. Simpson and Longboat are also immortalized in a 16 mm filming of the start of the race at Windsor, the first Olympic Games to be filmed. After a gruelling 26 mile trek, Fred Simpson placed 6th for Canada, out-distancing Longboat and Tewenina, as well as 50 other of the world’s best distance runners.

In 1909, he turned professional and raced on a circuit that took him to Georgia, New York City, Newark, New Jersey, Chicago, Buffalo, Montreal, Toronto and Fort William. He raced professionally until 1911-12, and retired back to Hiawatha to continue raising his family with Susan. In the 1920s, Simpson and family moved back to Alderville where he lived out his life, passing away on May 19, 1945.