Burial site of Thomas Longboat Jr. Son of 1907 Boston Marathon winner, Tom Sr.

Visit to the Seneca Longhouse – Six Nations of the Grand River

On my visit to the Six Nations of the Grand River, situated between Brantford and Caledonia in southwestern Ontario, I respectfully entered the Seneca Longhouse —one of five longhouses on the Six Nations Reserve.

The Six Nations of the Grand River are the Mohawk, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora peoples. These nations came to the Grand River after allying with the British during the American Revolution, seeking refuge on land granted to them by the Crown.

As I walked the sacred grounds of the Seneca Longhouse—Seneca meaning “Great Hill People”—I was mindful of the sanctity of the natural burials that take place there. Although I could not locate the grave marker of Tom Longboat Jr., I was aware that he had been interred in this place. Over the years, weathering has eroded many of the wooden grave markers, rendering most of the names illegible.

Tom Longboat Jr. was the son of the famed Canadian long-distance runner Tom Longboat Sr., one of the country’s most celebrated athletes around the time of the First World War. A strong believer in the Iroquois faith and secretary of the Confederacy Council on the Six Nations Reserve, Tom Jr. made headlines several decades ago when he successfully petitioned the City of Toronto to honour a debt owed to his father. In 1907, Tom Longboat Sr. was promised $500 for winning the Boston marathon but never received the prize money. In 1980, the city paid his son the $500 plus accumulated interest, amounting to $10,000.

After a service of remembrance was held in the Seneca Longhouse, Thomas Longboat Jr. was laid to rest in the burial grounds adjacent to it. He was 66 years old.

1926-1992

Tom Jr. was the son of acclaimed Onondaga, athlete, veteran and Boston Marathon winner, Tommy Longboat Sr. or Iroquois name: Cogwagee. He is buried in nearby Onondaga Longhouse in a burial site similar to his son.

The Longhouse on the Onondaga Nation and burial site of Tom Longboat Sr.

• • Following Tom Longboat’s famous victory in the 1907 Boston Marathon, he returned to Toronto to a massive reception.
  • The Toronto City Council of the time, rather than giving him the traditional valuable cabinet of silver, voted to give him a gift of $500, to be put towards an education. This decision was rooted in the prevailing racist beliefs of the era, which questioned his character and suggested he needed “education” rather than the recognition given to white athletes.
  • Despite the public announcement, the promised $500 was never actually paid to Longboat.
  • In the late 1970s, Canadian Olympic athlete and sports historian Bruce Kidd led a campaign to right this historical wrong. He brought the unpaid debt to the attention of the City Council.
  • In 1980, the City of Toronto officially acknowledged the oversight and the past injustice. They sought legislative approval to pay the money, with interest, to Longboat’s heirs.
  • The final amount paid to the family, including his son (who was one of four children), was $10,000. The payment served to acknowledge the historical injustice and finally make good on the city’s original promise to the celebrated athlete.