Lake Placid

On of the best-known areas of the Adirondacks is Lake Placid, a large lake and village located in the northeast corner of the great New York State park. Tourists started coming to Lake Placid in the early 1850s, when the only public accommodations available were a few rooms in a nearby farmhouse. Fifty years later, there were four major hotels and numerous smaller ones open to travelers and vacationers. Tourism had become the mainstay of the village economy. Just after 1900, winter sports gained prominence and, in 1932, the village hosted the third Winter Olympics. From then on, the community was considered to be the winter sports capital of North America. Lake Placid showcases more than two hundred thirty images dating from the mid-1870s to 1940. This fascinating visual history contains stunning views of the lake and the sports for which it is famous, including scenes from the 1932 Olympics. Also pictured are residents and visitors, streets and buildings, hotels and rustic camps, and the private Lake Placid Club.