French Canadians, the largest immigrant population in Tupper Lake, came from Quebec to make their living in the woods and brought their culture and religion with them. In the early 20th century, French was heard on village streets as often as English, and the section near the uptown St. Alphonsus Church became and remains known as French Village. Because of this migration, the community was and remains predominantly Roman Catholic. The Sisters of the Holy Ghost arrived in 1903 and established Holy Ghost Academy, providing parochial education until the early 2000s, and the Sisters of St. Joseph operated Holy Name School for a shorter time in association with the downtown church of the same name. Other faiths also took root, with Methodist and Episcopal churches among the first in the community. In 1890, railroad builder and lumberman John Hurd, an Episcopalian, hosted the first Sunday school and church service in the loft over his railroad station and ran a special train every Sunday, called the Gospel Mission Train by early settlers, to encourage attendance. By the 1970s, Presbyterians and Methodists had united to form the United Community Church of Tupper Lake. Immigrants learned English and assimilated into their new home, while older generations often kept the language of the old country and their children and grandchildren spoke English. A strong tradition of public education in Tupper Lake began in the first decade of permanent settlement, and public and parochial schools along with the public library became fundamental to building the community and supporting generations in academics, theater, music, art, and sports.