We had a pleasant vacation at Sault Ste Marie. We really enjoyed visiting the Johnston home. it doesn't look like much in the pictures but it was really neat to look at all the family artifacts. Above, is a picture of Ozhaguscodaywayquay's maple sugar mold. After her husband died, she made her living by making thousands of pounds of maple sugar each year from the maple trees on Sugar Island.
John Johnston's trading room - or at least the information about his booming trade business.
Obviously - the bedroom. There is a stairwaay that leads to the upstairs but currently not open (safe) to go up. I believe the Chippewa Historical Society is talking about making repairs to be able to view the upstairs next year.
Kitchen area - notice the crumbling fireplace / stove pipe hole in the wall. Interestingly, Ozhaguscodaywayquay refused to use the stove her husband bought for her. She said in the warm weather she cooks outside and when it's cold - over an open fire. So the new stove sat outside and rusted. She was considered to be a gracious and charming host. She never spoke English - only Ojibwe - but she understood English and French as well.
Some of the Johnston's dishes and such. John brought home his mother's china from Ireland for his wife to use. When people traveled to the Sault many years ago it was almost a "must" to visit the Johnston home. They were gracious hosts. In the day...John was making the equivalent of $650K per year (in today's dollars) with his lucrative trade business.
