Sledding

An interest in sledding, also called tobogganing or coasting, flourished during the 1880s in Vermont. Sledding was quite popular on the hilly streets of places like Burlington. Around 1884, Mayor Urban A. Woodbury banned sledding on city streets in Burlington. Shortly thereafter, the Burlington Coasting Club (BCC) was formed. The club organized the first winter carnival in the city, which took place on February 22, 1886. Sledding, or coasting, was permitted during the carnival. Winter carnivals sprang up in a number of other Vermont locations, in an attempt to lure winter tourists. St. Johnsbury erected a toboggan slide in the late 1880s. The first carnival in Burlington was a huge success, but later carnivals did not attract enough visitors. The BCC disbanded in 1890.

Winter Carnival Coasting: Image courtesy of the University of Vermont Landscape Change Program and the Robert Hull Fleming Museum