Although Jacques Cartier first sighted the region in 1535, three hundred years passed before explorers mapped and named the Adirondack region in upstate New York. Throughout history, the Adirondack area has both attracted and repelled visitors with its terrain and climate. In the 17th century, the Iroquois and the Algonquins hunted and trapped furs in the Adirondack wilderness. The abundance of wildlife in the area prompted the arrival of French, English and Dutch trappers, who started a lucrative fur trade through the Lake Champlain-Lake George Valley. During the colonial wars, speculators coveted the land for its strategic position and waterways. Later, lumberjacks capitalized on the Adirondacks' abundant natural resources throughout the 19th century. Politicians and conservationists soon realized the detriment that the region faced by developers and logging companies. In 1894, the state of New York enacted legislation to protect and maintain two-fifths of the Adirondack Park as "forever wild."

Inspiration to such famous personalities as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Robert Louis Stevenson and Winslow Homer, the beauty of the vast forests and scenic lakes soon drew more than artists and scribes seeking inspiration. From the 1880s to the Great Depression, the great families of New York society flocked to the Adirondack region to experience its wild beauty. The economic industrial boom during this time created many wealthy families who sought an escape from the bustling noise of Manhattan. The Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Whitneys soon made owning an Adirondack retreat as fashionable as a Newport mansion.

Although the New York society families sought the peace of the Adirondacks, the rustic nature of the mountains could not accommodate their luxurious lifestyles. Thus, the trains, telegraphs and hotels-civilization-followed them there. The era of the wilderness tourist had arrived. Besides the private homeowners, society clubs and associations such as the Bisby and Ausable Clubs also bought up large tracts of Adirondack land to create reserves and retreats for their members. The private homes and the club retreats were collectively called 'the Great Camps.'

By 1893, the Great Camps, in total, consisted of 941,036 acres. Because social events could not simply be left behind, the Great Camps hosted balls and soirees to match even the most elegant Manhattan party, such as the grand masquerade ball at the Prospect House. These Camps, though built in the middle of the wilderness, possessed every imaginable luxury and amusement.

The architecture of the Great Camps utilized the beauty and the natural resources of the surrounding area. In what came to be known as 'the Adirondack style,' the use of logs and indigenous stone allowed the buildings to blend in with the natural surroundings. The unique appearance of the Adirondack style was characterized by "rustic work"-exposed bark and rough, uncut stone. Architecture took on an organic appearance. Furnishings, which were initially stored-away antique pieces transferred from the attics of Manhattan mansions, were replaced by pieces designed specifically for the Great Camps. Local craftsmen followed the Adirondack decorating aesthetic, creating furnishings for the home whose inspiration was taken from nature.

Instead of the massive Newport mansions, the Great Camps consisted of many smaller, separate buildings. Each building served a particular purpose. It was not uncommon for compounds to include a trophy lodge, kitchen, icehouse, or guest cabin. Soon, the Great Camps took on the appearance of elegant, exclusive hamlets-mini villages deep in the woods that existed purely for the pleasure and relaxation of weary urbanites. A refuge for family and friends overwhelmed by the pace of city life.