While the family was on vacation in West Virginia, Bill received word that his work with Thiokol was wrapping up. Daniel was 4 ½ years old when they decided to relocate to a family home in West Virginia.
They moved into a house that Bill had built himself in 1957, on a 100-acre farm, halfway up a hill from the home of Daniel’s paternal grandparents, and 7 miles south of the nearest town, Chester, West Virginia. Apart from his grandparents’ home, the nearest house was now a hundred yards away. Though he enjoyed the company of his siblings, they were significantly older than he was, and he was often given to loneliness. He missed playing with neighborhood kids of his own age, as he had in the suburbs of Utah. But, as he later explained, there was a bright side to his loneliness, as the introspection it inspired in him led to a great deal of drawing and a quickening of his maturation as an artist.[1]
Their home in West Virginia was more isolated than their home in Utah, but the wilderness that surrounded it made for a playground of epic proportions. Daniel, along with his brother and sisters, had the run of the expansive property, which included a pond, three wooded areas (the Big Woods, the Little Woods, and the Indian Woods), and an apple orchard. And they shared the property with an uncle, two cousins, and Bill’s parents. So, although Daniel missed having children his own age to play with, he was not alone; he was surrounded by a large and loving family, that doted on him.
The Johnston kids hiked, built campfires, and slept under the stars. Their pond was sizable and it was ideal for swimming, boating, and fishing. They built cabins in the woods and cut their own Christmas tree every December. In winters, they built snow forts and sledded the hill. In summers, Mabel invited groups of church kids over for campfires and sleep-outs. Church-widesocials, featuring games, corn-roasts, and other activities were frequently held outside the Johnston home. And, no matter the audience, young Danny was always the center of attention.
[1] CS0344_0 1983 letter to David Thornberry, 1983; 1991 Harris Video Interviews,1991