13 Facts About Apollos Smith

Apollos "Paul" Smith was an American hunting and fishing guide from Vermont who founded the Saint Regis House in the Town of Brighton, New York, in the Adirondack Mountains.

In time, Apollos Smith became known as a prominent hunting and fishing guide in the Loon Lake region.

In 1852, Apollos Smith bought 200 acres near Loon Lake on the North Branch of the Saranac River for $300.

In 1858, some of Apollos Smith's guests suggested him to build a more comfortable hotel, one to which they could bring their wives; one offered to loan Apollos Smith the money to build it.

Apollos Smith bought 50 acres on Lower Saint Regis Lake, 12 miles southwest of Loon Lake, for three hundred dollars.

Apollos Smith was an excellent host, a charming story teller with a quick wit, and he was known for treating everyone as equals.

Apollos Smith was a shrewd businessman, and his wife, Lydia, whom he had married in 1859, excelled at managing the entire operation.

Apollos Smith established the area's first electric company, with hydroelectric plants on the St Regis River at Keese Mill, and on the Saranac River at Franklin Falls and in the village of Saranac Lake.

Apollos Smith built roads, and developed electric boats, recharged at his electric plant, to deliver passengers to their camps on Spitfire and Upper Saint Regis lakes.

Apollos Smith installed telegraph lines, a stock ticker wired directly to the New York Stock Exchange, and finally, a telephone system.

In 1906, Apollos Smith built an electric railroad line seven miles south to Lake Clear, to connect with the Mohawk and Malone Railway.

Apollos Smith died on December 15,1912, at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, after two consecutive kidney operations; he was 87.

When Phelps Apollos Smith died, his will provided funds to start Paul Apollos Smith's College, which was built on the site of the hotel.