Smugglers Notch Vermont Vintage Art Deco Ski PosterThis vintage Ski Smugglers' Notch poster represents a narrow mountain pass (or Notch) that was a well known smuggling route, running adjacent to Sterling Mountain. Almost 200 years ago, smugglers used the thick forest on the mountain range and the caves and caverns along the Long Trail to transport illegal or embargoed goods across the Canadian border. Stories claim that the Notch was most likely involved in bootlegging runs during the Prohibition-era of the 1920s, using the same caves as a cache for smuggled Canadian beer, wine, and spirits. The Smugglers' Notch ski area was started in 1956 by a group of Vermont skiers. In 1956-57, Dr. Roger Mann and Warren Warner opened two Poma-lifts, which serviced the ski area to the top of present day Sterling, allowing for connection to the Spruce Peak area of Stowe. The parking lot and warming hut were built by the State of Vermont.In 1963-64, a chairlift was built to the summit of Madonna Mountain, bringing Smugglers' to major resort ski area status. In 1964, Tom Watson Jr. of IBM fame purchased the ski area, investing millions in expansion and changing the name to Madonna Mountain. After about a decade of ownership, Watson sold the area. It would later revert back to Smugglers' Notch and eventually focus on becoming a family destination resort. It is located in the Town of Cambridge, near in Jeffersonville Vermont.Available in three sizes: 20 x 30 in., 24 x 36 in., 30 x 40 inches.
