The Setting Pole Dam regulates the level of Tupper Lake, which formed by flooding the Raquette River drainage at the dam. Tupper Lake (both the body of water and the town named after it) are man-made products of the lumber industry. The lake was formed by 19th century dams to float logs, and marks the transition from the mostly natural Raquette River, preserved by early wealthy property owners, to one of the most dammed rivers in the state. The town, built in a clear-cut next to the water, became the largest lumber producer in the state in 1910. Tupper Lake is a crossroads in the Adirondacks, for waterways, highways, and railways, and is a functional town, with an old VA hospital, the new Wild Center, and the closed Oval Wood Dish company plant.
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