Once the railroad came to Northville in 1875 (started as a local short-line and becoming part of the FJ&G through bankruptcy in 1881) the tents were displaced by a summer cottage community. The Adirondack Inn, a beautiful 4-story Victorian lodge, was built in 1888; it was the first of four large lodges that would accommodate thousands of visitors from as far away as New York City and beyond.
After a disastrous fire in 1898 that destroyed all but five of the more than hundred cottages, the railroad saw opportunity and invested in an enormous expansion. The park grew to as much as 700 acres. The cottages were re-built; beautiful rustic park grounds were created with strolling paths, miniature lakes and picnic grounds; a nine-hole golf course was built; a rustic theatre was nestled within the natural backdrop of giant pine trees; a lagoon and a bandstand were built near the Inn. Famous artists and entertainers including Houdini, W.C. Fields and J.P. Sousa performed in the Theatre and the Inn.
The railroad then formed the Sacandaga Amusement Company. In 1901 it built a huge midway, roller coaster, carousels and even a kinescope theatre in a railroad car with genuine rocking motion and moving scenery. On a large island in the middle of the Sacandaga River (Sport Island) it built another picnic area, a baseball diamond with a grandstand and a miniature train to transport visitors to and from the mainland over a bridge; the bridge was removed during the usual Spring ice melt and flooding of the river banks. Large open-air entertainment, balloon ascensions, boxing matches and fireworks completed the entertainment scene. In 1901, the 300 acre High Rock Lodge resort was built just west of the Park, near a giant boulder that gave the resort its name. Other hotels inside the Park were the Pines Hotel (near the Midway) and the Orchard Inn (near the Golf Course). J. Ledlie Hees, the president of FJ&G, built a summer mansion called Heeswijk just west of the golf course. President Harding was an overnight guest at Heeswijk in 1920. The number of annual summer visitors to the Park reached 90,000.
Sacandaga Park suffered 11 major fires. The grandstand and miniature train burned in 1918 and were not replaced. Then came the water in 1930 - the intentional flooding of the Sacandaga River Valley by the State of New York (the Hudson River and Black River Regulating District or HRBRD) for the purpose of Hudson River flood control. It permanently flooded the Midway, the Pines Hotel, Sport Island as well as many cottages. The railroad fought the condemnation process but lost in the end to powerful down-river manufacturers and their political allies. The loss of most of the amusement venues and many cottages, took the heart out of the Park forever. It also flooded the tracks in Cranberry Creek, ending both Sacandaga Park and Northville as railroad destinations. The Station itself continued to be used for bus transport as well as a wide range of other commercial uses. The FJ&G railroad entered bankruptcy in 1938. The bankruptcy process started the sale of the cottages and forced a take-over of the many services that the railroad had provided to the cottage community, such as water, sewer, electricity, garbage removal, road maintenance and use of the (now infamous) "sandy beach". Some of the documents in the legal settlement between HRBRD and the FJ&G, as well as the interpretation of various rights conveyed to cottage owners have led to litigation and resentment that continues to this day. The cottages on Osborne Road burned in 1939, followed by High Rock Lodge (1951); the Rustic Theatre (1955); Heeswijk (1964); and on September 8, 1975 the Adirondack Inn. The Orchard Inn was demolished in 1965 . The remainder of the 700 acre property was sold in 1952 to Adirondack Properties which then parceled the assets out to many private and commercial interests. There was a short-lasting revival of the theatre in the 1960's, as the Sacandaga Summer Theatre. The venture was a labor of love. It attracted famous actors but suffered financial trouble from the start. The not-so-rustic building was torn down ten years later with the final remains removed in 2002.
The station building is representative of the many small railroad stations that served rural America at the beginning of the 20th century. It is a typical small town station, one story in height, with a shallow and broad overhanging roof. The exterior of the wood-framed structure is surfaced with wood shingles and is punctuated with an assortment of doors and windows. The exterior retains parts of its original design and integrity. The octagonal bay that once was located at the South end of the building, has been removed; its foundation footprint can still be seen on the platform. The tree that used to grow through the roof overhang of the octagonal is still there and is in good health. The bell that was located on top of the roof (to signal the imminent departure of the last Sunday train) had disappeared but has been found. The building is essentially rectangular, aside from the widened overhangs at the center of the building; it is 105 feet long and 24 feet wide (see floor plan). Several commercial establishments (ice cream vending, beauty parlor, antique store, pinball machines) and a post office resided in the station at various points in time. The interior of the building has been changed considerably since its use as a railroad station ended in 1930 with the flooding of the Sacandaga Valley. Some time in the 1960's, the overhang of the building on the east side and the pass-through on the far north, were enclosed. The building was quite heavily vandalized after the post office closed in 1968. In 1972, the four interior walls were demolished and the two east-west passages blocked by new exterior walls. The east side of the building was then converted into five stables. On the south side of the station a small apartment was created for the horse groom. Later in the 80's, the station served as a warehouse. The original railroad right-of-way in front of the station remains clearly visible. The tracks were originally flanked by dirt roads, for use by carriages and horse traffic. The immediate surroundings of the Station are wooded with mature white pines that tower over the Station building.
The Station is one of the few remaining FJ&G institutional transportation/resort buildings in Sacandaga Park.
The former dance hall next door is still there - now used for boat storage. About sixty of the cottages remain. On March 7, 2003 Sacandaga Station was officially listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.