Johnston Homesite

In 1864 John McDougal Johnston, his wife, Justine, and their six children homesteaded this island. His father was a famous Sault Ste. Marie fur trader and his mother was the daughter of an Ojibway chief. He served as an interpreter for his brother-in-law, Henry R. Schoolcraft, the Indian agent. After twelve years on Rains Island, John and Justine moved to a farm near the Sault. Two children, Anna Marie, known as Miss Molly, and Howard, remained to farm the homestead. In 1892 birch bark cabins were built on this site to house visitors. Miss Molly called the spot Ononegwud, an Indian name for Happy Place. The land was given to the Neebish Pioneer Association in memory of the Bagnall family in 1974 to preserve as the Johnston Conservation Area.