History of Tourism in the Adirondacks

Before the Adirondacks were a big tourist area, the main industry that powered the economy in the park was extraction. As the United States moved from an agrarian to an industrial society, the land within the Adirondack Park was viewed as an economic resource. People realized that the forests within the park were full of minerals, titanium, and timber to extract. In order to efficiently extract all of these valuable resources, a railroad was developed. Although the railroad did not go through the entire park, it did provide a means for vacationers to easily get to the Blue Mountain Lake area. As the vacation phenomenon slowly crept into American culture for upper and middle class families, the Adirondacks proved to be a relaxing place to escape from the city for a few days. Wealthy families began to build extravagant great camps, secluded deep into the park, to show off to their friends. Eventually, as the resource extraction economy died down, tourism became more and more critical to the liveliness of many Adirondack towns.