 Chief Joseph Laurent, an Abenaki leader from St. Francis, Quebec, came to the area in 1884, and established a seasonal camp on the site, which was then owned by a local hotel.Laurent and other Abenaki produced baskets and other handicrafts as a tourist attraction for the hotel guests, and sold them the wares they produced.The Abenaki were descended from the area's original Native American population, who were driven from the area during the colonial period.