Illustrated Maps of Vermont

Does “Vermont” make you think about food, like maple syrup, ice cream or cheese? Do you think about activities, like snowboarding, hiking, or hunting? Maybe you think about scenery(the landscape or the view of the land), like mountains, lakes, or colorful leaves in the fall?

Many ideas and images can represent Vermont. The state has rural(country, not the city) towns with forests and farms and few people. There are urban(city, not the country) cities with stores and businesses and a lot of people. There is not one place, food or activity that sums up the whole state. Vermont means different things to different people.

An artist painted this mural(large artwork or painting on a wall) on a wall at the Vermont History Museum in 2017. She included some well-known Vermont businesses like Cabot Cheese and King Arthur Flour. Can you find the Vermont State Fairgrounds or the water park at Jay Peak? What pictures let you know this is Vermont?

We can look at historic maps and postcards to compare images of Vermont from different years. Look carefully at these three pictures below. How have pictures of Vermont changed over time? How have the pictures stayed the same?