ON THIS DAY

February 9, 1863 – Seraphim “Joe” Fortes, a prominent early Vancouverite, was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Arriving in Vancouver after surviving a shipwreck, Fortes held a number of jobs, but was best known as a swimming instructor and unpaid lifeguard in English Bay. Over a decade later, he was appointed the city’s first official lifeguard. In 1986 he was posthumously named Citizen of the Century by the Vancouver Historical Society.

To learn more, visit the Historica Canada website at www.historicacanada.ca