Last updated: April 14, 2025
Article
Generational Stewards
Susanna Johns
From homesteading in 1891 to maintaining a strong partnership with Isle Royale National Park today, the Johns family knows a thing about persistence. This ethos became a cornerstone of their legacy, passed down through generations.
Today, the Johns family continues to persist on Isle Royale – not as settlers, but as stewards of the Johns Hotel Historical Point Association. They spearhead the hotel restoration and lead educational tours of the Hotel, which contains original artifacts, providing public access. For the family, each visit deepens their understanding of Isle Royale as a place of persistence and renewal — for humans and nature, history, the present and the future.
Through the Johns family, Isle Royale’s persistence story comes alive, reminding visitors that wilderness and family heritage can endure in harmony.
Susanna Johns
Johns Family Historical Point Association