Johnstown, Ontario

Johnstown is a community in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, in eastern Ontario, Canada, part of the township of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal. It is located at the Canadian terminus of the Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge and at the southern terminus of Highway 416 and Highway 16.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Johnstown and the surrounding area had been sporadically occupied by various Native American cultures for many centuries. Evidence of their presence such as clay utensils and arrows have been found throughout the township. No physical evidence of significant Native American settlements, such as longhouses, have been discovered within the hamlet itself, however the hamlet was apparently frequented by Natives. According to the Edwardsburgh Centennial Committee, who compiled a history of the township in 1967, Johnstown was used by Native Americans as a stopover place due to its location. Before the construction of dams and later the Seaway, Johnstown was fronted by calm section of the St. Lawrence River located between two rapids. This would have made the land of present-day Johnstown a convenient place for those travelling on the river to rest. When the French arrived in the 1600s they were met by the Native Americans at Johnstown, who were essentially responsible for inspiring the French to settle here.

The first regular land occupancy began in 1673 when French settlers, along with the allied Natives, built a fortified storehouse in present-day Johnstown, then called La Veille Gallette. The storehouse was situated on the shores of Old Breeches River, now called Johnstown Creek, and was used to hold supplies headed upriver to fur trading posts such as Fort Frontenac (Now, Kingston). It was in use until 1758.

In 1760, the French constructed a fort near Johnstown called Fort de Lévis. The fort was located on Chimney Island (Formerly known as Isle Royale) in the St. Lawrence River just off of the shores of Grenville Park. It was built in preparation for a British attack as an attempt to block their advance down river. The original design, created by and named after Francis de Gaston, Chevalier de Levis, intended for the fort to be built with stone walls, have 200 guns, and house 2,500 troops. Instead, the fort was built much smaller and of wood, with five cannons and about 300 soldiers. In the same year it was built, the fort was captured by the British during the Battle of the Thousand Islands. After a week-long standoff, the 11,000 British troops led by Jeffrey Amherst succeeded in taking the fort from the few hundred French. The French troops managed to significantly delay the British arrival to Montreal, and succeeded in sinking two ship as well as crippling a third. The number of British casualties was 26 dead and 47 wounded, while the French saw 275 of their 300 troops killed or wounded. The British renamed the captured fort Fort William Augustus.

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