Railroads brought tourism to Cranberry Lake from cities downstate, because the stories they'd heard about hunting and fishing and the natural beauty of the area drew them out to the country for summer vacations, or fall deer hunting, or spring fishing.
Railroads were built into some remote areas for reasons like mining, logging, or milling, and that meant word finally got out about the incredible mountain country beauty that great painters used to make famous, health nuts used to exploit with tales of miracle spring cures, etc.
Tthe tourism craze peaked almost instantly. Hotels were built in the 1880s and 1890s, and then more in the early 1900s. Mines began operating, and then the mills needed to make flour, carpentry and wood lumber factories to build the small towns, and summer business flourished from tourists and longtime visitors.
Dale commented about a cool book about two small towns, Clifton and Fine, "Two Towns - Two Centuries 1776-1976" https://www.amazon.com/Two-Towns-Centuries-1776-1976/dp/B002ENPGDC
Via the very informative http://www.adirondackbasecamp.com/adirondack-snow-conditions-resources