shortly after 1691 british colonist settled the town of schuylerville which at the time was called "saratoga" before being renamed in 1831. in 1802 a hotel was established for travelers called the gideon putnam hotel which led to a large population and economically boost for saratoga and the surrounding areas.although not directly in saratoga springs, the battle of saratoga was fought just 10 miles south and was a turning point in the american revolutionary war. in 1863 the saratoga race course opened up leading to a large increase in tourism because of the betting involved even to this day.