Adirondack Daily Enterprise / Adirondack Vacation Guide • Summer/Fall 2022
Saranac Lake Region
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Self-guided historic driving tour Tri-Lakes Region
If you want to take a road trip that is relaxing, fun and educational, try this self-guided historic driving tour through the Tri-Lakes region of the Adirondack Park — Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and surrounding hamlets. Start at one end, and go to the other. Or just pick one or two villages and spend some time there. The communities here are much larger than those in the rest of the Park, and they offer many opportunities to grab a take-out meal for a picnic. There’s a lot of history here, much more than we can squeeze into this guide. For more information, visit www.lakeplacid.com, www.saranaclake.com and www.tupperlake.com.
Tupper Lake Tupper Lake has a long history surrounding the wood products industry, as lumber companies set up mills along the shore of Raquette Pond. Oval Wood Dish: In the middle of town along Demars Boulevard is a sprawling abandoned factory with a water tower and large smokestack that was once home to the Oval Wood Dish Corp. The Michigan-based Oval Wood Dish Corp. built this complex in 1916-17. It manufactured hardwood products such as clothespins, hardwood floors, maple bowling pins and tableware called Ritespoon. The name of the company came from an early product, an oval wood dish. Ownership changed several times after 1964, and the last company, Jarden Plastic Solutions, closed in 2008. The Big Mill: A tablet on a rock in front of the Municipal Park ball field on Demars Boulevard explains the history of the Big Mill: “Here stood, from 1890 until 1930, the North Country’s largest sawmill built by John Hurd. It had the largest bandsaw in the world and twice broke the world’s record for lumber sawed in a day. The Santa Clara Lumber Co. was its main operator. Hundreds of jobs resulted from the industry it fostered. It was often called ‘the mill that made the town.’” Beth Joseph Synagogue: The historic Beth Joseph Synagogue at 59 Lake St. was built in 1905 by Russian Jewish immigrants and served 36 families between 1910 and 1924. It is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Today, the synagogue is only open in the months of July and August, offering services, a museum and special events. Sunmount DDSO: Located at 2445 state Route 3/30 on the way to Saranac Lake, the Sunmount Developmental Disabilities Services Office is operated by the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities. The complex was dedicated on Aug. 15, 1924 as the Sunmount Veterans Administration Hospital to treat veterans with tuberculosis. The federal government closed the hospital on Aug. 11, 1965, and the State of New York took over operations in the fall of that year, receiving its first patients from overcrowded mental institutions in late September. Lake Clear Adirondack Fish Hatchery: Several miles south of Lake Clear on State Route 30, the state-operated Adirondack Fish Hatchery specializes in landlocked
Ball game at Tupper Lake’s Municipal Park
(Staff photo — Aaron Cerbone)
Atlantic salmon. The original fish hatchery on this site was built in 1885, and the new facility was completed in 1990. Fish Creek State Campground: Located on State Route 30, the state Conservation Commission set up a lean-to and a few fireplaces at Fish Creek in 1920 to accommodate car campers. In 1926, 20 campsites and sanitary facilities were added. The number of campsites doubled in 1927 and doubled again in 1928. The Civilian Conservation Corps expanded the campground from 1933 to 1935. In order to deal with overflow, a new campground — Rollins Pond — was built in 1955 adjacent to Fish Creek campground and was expanded in 1958 and 1960. Rollins Pond now has 287 campsites, and Fish Creek has 355. Charlie’s Inn: There are many reasons to visit Charlie’s Inn: snowmobiling, camping and dining. Railfans, however, call this the Lake Clear Junction. The train depot, built in 1891, remains, under private ownership. This was once one of the busiest rail junctions in the Adirondack Park, under the operation of New York Central’s Adirondack Division, originally finished by Dr. William Seward Webb in 1892. It ran from Herkimer to Malone, earning the name “Mohawk & Malone” or “M&M” railroad, with a rail line also heading east from the junction to Saranac Lake and Lake Placid.
Paul Smiths Paul Smith’s College: Located on State Route 30, the 14,200-acre Paul Smith’s College on the shore of Lower St. Regis Lake was once home to the Paul Smith’s Hotel. Apollos A. (Paul) Smith (1825-1912) moved to the Adirondacks in the mid-1800s and bought 50 acres at the site of the current college campus in 1858, building a resort empire that eventually included transporting guests to/from Lake Clear Junction on the only electric railroad in the Park. Under the conditions of Phelps Smith’s will, the hotel’s holdings were to be used to establish a college in his father’s name. The college’s first class matriculated in 1946. Learn more at www.paulsmiths.edu.
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