North Country At Work

Guides at Paul Smith’s Hotel on Upper Saint Regis Lake, standing near the boathouse. Copied from the NY State Conservation Magazine. Circa 1890. Paul Smiths, NY.

A view of the businesses on Park Street in downtown Tupper Lake. Pictured are the Tavern, The Tap Room, National Army Store, A&P Food Stores, and Schine’s State Theater, which is advertising live entertainment. Circa late1940s. Tupper Lake, NY.

The Russell House, proprietor A. O. Russell, which included a bar. Note sign advertising ale. Circa 1900-1910. Tupper Lake, NY.

Exterior of the Franklin Hotel. Circa 1900-1915. Tupper Lake, NY.

A Civil War era photo of one of the first cabins to be built on Tupper Lake, which eventually became the Tupper Lake House, a very large hotel of the area. Circa 1860s. Tupper Lake, NY.

Beechwood Inn, or The Ruth, a hotel which was located between Tupper Lake and Piercefield. It was rumored to have been an unofficial brothel. Circa 1915. Tupper Lake, NY.

Exterior of the Commercial House (a Stewart’s now sits on this site), which was an early hotel in Tupper Lake. It burned down in 1898. Circa 1890s. Tupper Lake, NY.

Northwood Cabins sign and a former owner (unidentified).The Northwood Cabins are a longstanding vacation rental business in Tupper Lake. Circa 1960s. Tupper Lake, NY.

The Paul Smith’s Hotel, built in 1859 by Apollo “Paul” Smith, was, kept intentionally rustic in its early years, unlike many of its contemporary hotels. Guests had to carry their own luggage, because there were no men employed as bellboys, and chamber pots and outhouses were the norm, as there were no bathrooms in the […]

Martin’s Hotel, officially known as The Saranac Lake House, was one of the most famous hotels in the Adirondacks. Its famous guest list included President Teddy Roosevelt and Vice President William Wheeler. A passage from Wallace’s Guide to the Adirondacks, 1875, p. 114: “‘Martin’s, one of the far-famed gateways to the Wilderness, is a most […]