Lake Placid was well-known in the 1930s and 1940s as the site of the famed Lake Placid Club. It attracted the interest of dogsledding enthusiasts and became rather a centre for the sport. In January 1932 the Third Winter Olympics were held there, and on that occasion a dogsled race was held as a demonstration sport.

Lake Placid was home to more than one sleddog kennel in the early days, the best known of which were Komatik kennels of Margaret Dewey and the kennels of Jacques Suzanne.