In the beginning, small sawmills provided lumber for local use. After the Civil War, large lumber companies were formed and mills were built near the Glens Falls area. At first logging was prevalent along the upper Hudson River, which was used to float the logs to the mills. Later logging operations moved into Lake Pleasant, and the Sacandaga River was used to float logs to Glens Falls. The state of New York designated rivers as public highways for moving logs to the larger companies. Many local farmers found winter employment with these companies as well as supplying the companies with potatoes, meat, and dairy products and hay and feed for the horses. The lumber companies bought large parcels of land for their timber. Some of this land was later abandoned and became state land. This was the beginning of the Adirondack Park as designated in 1892.