The island was first marked on Swedish maps in 1643. The original Finnish name of the island was "Mistulansaari," and the Russian name was "Mishin Island," either due to phonetic similarity or, according to legend, because of the bears that lived in the forest. In 1709, Peter I granted the island as private property to Vice-Chancellor P. P. Shafirov. Later, the island was owned by Prosecutor General P. I. Yagushinsky, Actual State Councillor A. P. Melgunov, and His Serene Highness Prince G. A. Potemkin. The latter bought it for 9,000 rubles (according to other sources, this was the price paid by I. P. Yelagin to G. A. Potemkin for the island). Among the people, the island was also named after its owners; for example, from 1776 to 1793 it was called Melgunov Island, and later Yelagin Island. Thus, the fifth owner of the island in 1777 became the Ober-Hofmeister of the imperial court, I. P. Yelagin, whose name has remained associated with the island to this day. In the eastern part of the island, in 1786, a palace was built, known as the Yelagin (Yelagin Island) Palace, possibly designed by Giacomo Quarenghi. An English-style park was laid out on the island with canals, ponds, and grottos, along with bridges and gazebos. After I. P. Yelagin’s death in 1793, the island and park passed to his heirs and were then sold from hand to hand. The last, ninth private owner of the island was Count G. V. Orlov. In 1817, his estate was purchased by the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty. The transaction cost the treasury 350,000 rubles. In 1818, reconstruction of the palace complex began. To address this task, Alexander I turned to Betancourt, who recommended the emperor to K. I. Rossi, convincing the tsar that no one in Russia could handle this architectural challenge better. To implement the plan, Betancourt created a special commission, appointing Rossi as the chief architect of Yelagin Island. The architect preserved the neoclassical style but transformed the entire island, building new service buildings, summer pavilions, and piers. The main work was carried out between 1818 and 1822, costing 1,588,000 rubles. Until 1817, the island was owned by the Russian imperial family and was intended for the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, serving as one of the royal residences. Since 1826, the park has been open to the public, and since 1917 it has been public property.

Jermaine