ABOUT US
My name is Jonathon Grace, but most people call me Jon.
I was two years old when my mother and father built Old Post. My childhood summers were spent exploring the beach for lost treasure, building forts, playing in the muck and often pestering staff. I was hungry to be part of the action, and by the age of thirteen I persuaded Dad to let me be the “Dock Boy” and by sixteen I was finally out guiding the waters of Lake St. Joseph. With over twenty years of experience guiding, I can honestly say that getting to know the folks in my boat has been one of the most enriching parts of my life. I have had people from all walks of life, out on the water with me, and I
never tire of listening to their stories, or watching the look on their faces, when they catch “the big one”.
Over the last few years, I have been spending a lot more of my time on land, taking over the management of operations, and taking on the challenges of the day to day running’s of the business, in both the on and off seasons. After my Father’s untimely death in 2022, I took on the official role as Managing Director and assumed
all responsibility for the running of the business. Myself, along with my wife, Becca and son Finn drive up to camp each season when the ice goes out, and are in it for the long run until Mid-September. Each season brings its own unique challenges, and one year is always different from the next. The weather is quite often sensational, the fishing is always excellent, but it’s the people that make each year so meaningful.
This remote northern land is a part of me, it is in my blood and I am forever tied to it's shorelines and waters. It's history, it's people, and it's future matter greatly to me. Our relationship with the Mishkeegogamang First Nation’s community stands at the very forefront of that. My father’s passing reinforced how important our legacy is. What we do with our time here matters, and I am forever grateful that my parents had the foresight to start the business that they did, and forge the relationships that they did. I feel so privileged to be able to carry on their story and feel it is my duty to
introduce as many like-minded souls as I can to the magic of this place. There really is nowhere else like it.
THE FOUNDER
What is it that would inspire someone to come to such a remote and isolated place to start a business, a business literally built on the ruins of another? The inspiration was the profound beauty of Lake St. Joseph, a deep respect for the indigenous people who live in these wilds and a burning entrepreneurial spirit to create something from almost nothing. The result is Old Post Lodge, a world-class fishing lodge that rose from the ashes of a 200-year-old Hudson's Bay Trading Post, on the shores of this legendary lake.
Born and raised in Goderich, Ontario, I left home at an early age. Both curiosity & opportunity brought me to the northern community of New Osnaburgh, where I accepted a managerial position with the Hudson's Bay Company store in 1976. I have fond memories of those times when Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Radio was the highlight of the week. The roads were rough and it wasn't always an easy life but the isolation allowed for the development of very special relationships with the people who call this area home; a unique and lasting bond was created, not only with the people but also with the land that has supported them for a thousand years.
In 1982, after having gone into the field of social work in the area of Pickle Lake, I met a young and dedicated schoolteacher named Wendy Dell. Having been so taken with the north it seemed only appropriate that I would fall in love with a northern girl. In a few short months we were married in Wendy's hometown of Red Lake. A year later Wendy and I returned to Osnaburgh, where we bought a store called Albany Free Traders situated at the narrows of the Albany River. Albany Free Traders was a general store everything from milk & mail delivery, to lumber and a taxi service and just about everything in between. A large part of our thriving business was the purchase and processing of
the prized wild rice gathered by the local people. Much to our delight, the store quickly became the community’s gathering place.
In summer of 1984 we welcomed the first of our three sons, Jonathon. In the spring of 1986 Wendy and I, along with our young son, took a short boat ride that would bring a profound change to our lives. On a sunny Saturday morning, we set foot, for the first time, on the property that once supported the Hudson’s Bay Trading Post known as Osnaburgh House. The site itself was absolutely breathtaking. Though in complete ruins, the old trading post store was still there along with a dilapidated old church and a graveyard covered in overgrown grass. After a meeting with the elders of the Mishkeegogamang First Nation, we bought the small amount of free hold land available and negotiated a long-term lease for the remainder of the site with The Hudson’s Bay Company.
We set our mark on the property that summer with the building of a small cabin and spent the next winter planning how we might make a living there. The idea for Old Post Lodge was born during that winter and not long after, so was our second son, Jordan. The following summer we welcomed our third son, Joel. Our vision at the time was to grow a business that would utilize the extraordinary natural assets of Lake St. Joseph without exploitation, a business that would maintain the rich historical and
cultural significance of the property. This delicate balance has always been very important to us and we strive to uphold it in everything we do at Old Post Lodge. With this vision and the blessing of the elders of the community, we began creating what would soon become one of Ontario’s premier fishing lodges. We carefully restored what we could of the old trading post, added a series of new buildings, a generator, running water, and did everything in our power to recreate the spirit of the original Osnaburgh House.
Lake St. Joseph is a phenomenal fishery, far exceeding provincial averages, and in an effort to assure that it would remain so in the future, we have implemented strict conservation practices and encouraged others to do the same. Today, under the Lake St. Joseph Accord, fishing licenses are restricted to a precious few and a catch and release program is in effect making the lake a valuable resource for generations to come, not to mention a sport fisherman’s paradise. After all the
dreaming, planning and building, Wendy and I have seen our vision come to life in Old Post Lodge. This is where we have raised our three boys and made, not only a living, but also a commitment to the north, its resources and its people. In the years since we first set foot in Osnaburgh, we have developed enduring friendships, created employment, and looked to the future while celebrating the past. This is a very special place and we love nothing more than sharing it with others!
Sincerely,
John Grace
On August 9th , 2022, John Grace lost his life on Lake St. Joseph. In his
honour, we continue on with his dream, we will forever remember his
passion for The Old Post, the land and its people.