Smuggling. Embargoes. Prohibition. Have you ever wondered how Smugglers' Notch in Vermont got its infamous name? Look back to the early 1800s to uncover stories of the British smuggling goods into the United States from Canada.
Since the U.S. government had passed an embargo on English goods, the British shipped their supplies to Canada instead, and the smugglers made their way through Vermont's Long Trail. The caves and dense woods surrounding the trail and Smuggler's Notch Pass made it easy for smugglers to hide and work discreetly.
Prohibitionists used the same area about a 100 years later to smuggle forbidden alcohol. They used the caves to store goods when revenue agents and police were on patrol.
Cambridge, Vermont, helped open the Smugglers' Notch Ski Ways in 1956. The new ski area catered mainly to locals and drew few out-of-town visitors.
Tom Watson Jr., the president of IBM in 1952, saw Smugglers' Notch as a winter tourism opportunity and hoped to emulate successful ski villages like Vail, Colorado. Watson and his brother eventually purchased Smugglers' Notch Ski Ways. Then, Stanley Snider, a resort developer who had planned and built the original complex, bought Smugglers' Notch in 1973.
A vice president of AT&T, William P. Stritzler, bought the resort in 1996. He was an avid vacationer at Smugglers' Notch and even owned a home in the area. He helped pioneer the property as a renowned family resort and set the standard for excellence at like-minded properties.
Smugglers' Notch is also a popular tourist destination once the snow stops falling. During the summer months, tourists come to explore caves and hike Long Trail. The resort has also become popular for family reunions.
