But New England, he rightly judged, was too narrow a field for the young man who wished to improve his prospects and with narrow means lay the foundation of a liberal competence. The West offered the most promise, and to the West he accordingly came, taking his kit of tools with him. Landing in Cleveland in the Fall of 1834, he satisfied himself that here was the proper place for the exercise of his knowledge and abilities, and here, accordingly, he prepared to make his home. Before settling down to steady business in Cleveland he made a trip to Perrysburgh, on the Maumee, where he assisted in finishing the Commodore Perry. This work done he returned to Cleveland in the Spring of 1835, and opened his ship yard, at first confining himself to the repair of vessels. But soon he was called on to build as well as repair. The steamboat Constellation was completed by him at Black River, and the steamboat Robert Fulton, built at Cleveland by Griffith, Standart & Co.
In 1844, Mr. Johnson associated with him Mr. E. Tisdale, and the firm of Johnson & Tisdale acquired honorable fame as ship builders along the entire chain of lakes and beyond. The copartnership lasted nineteen years. Before the formation of this partnership, Mr. Tisdale had commenced the building of a railway for docking vessels, and this was the first firm to lift vessels for the purpose of repairing them. With his first work, in 1835, in Cleveland, he commenced the acquisition of vessel property, and steadily pursued the policy of taking this kind of stock, until he became a large ship owner as well as ship builder.
The discovery of the mineral resources of the Lake Superior region attracted a large number of people to that locality, the only feasible means of communication with which was by lake. The Saut rapids prevented the assent of vessels from the lower lakes, and to meet the requirements of the trade that suddenly sprung into existence two vessels were built on Lake Superior, the freights being carried across the portage around the rapids. These vessels being insufficient for the needs, it became a question whether others could not be taken across the portage from below and launched on the waters of the upper lake. Messrs. Johnson & Tisdale thought it could be done, and took the contract for thus transporting the schooner Swallow and steamer Julia Palmer. They were hauled two miles on greased slides or ways and safely launched on the bosom of the "father of lakes." The undertaking was considered one of great difficulty, if not of absolute impossibility, and its success gave Messrs. Johnson & Tisdale widespread notoriety.