Bathed in the warm palette of WM. Jubb Co.'s American Art Colored linen printing, this posted 1937 card presents Barge Canal Lock No. 3 at Fulton, New York in its proud prime — manicured flower borders line the concrete lock walls, twin American flags snap above the works, and a sign proudly proclaims it "Prize Lock 1922," a distinction awarded annually by the New York State Barge Canal system to the best-kept lock on the waterway. The New York State Barge Canal (successor to the original Erie Canal, enlarged and modernized between 1905 and 1918) was a working commercial artery and a point of local pride in communities like Fulton, a small city on the Oswego River in Oswego County that benefited from canal traffic and industry. The card was posted March 19, 1937 from Fulton, N.Y. and addressed to a recipient in Port Huron, Michigan; the writer describes visiting a friend and her new baby and mentions 26 miles of driving through heavy snow — a vivid snapshot of Depression-era family correspondence.

• Caption: Barge Canal Lock No. 3, Fulton, N.Y.
• Card no.: 106983
• Publisher: WM. Jubb Co., Inc., Syracuse, N.Y. (CT American Art Colored / Curt Teich)
• Photographer: Unknown
• Series: American Art Colored linen series
• Postmark: Fulton, N.Y., Mar 19, 1937, 10 AM
• Status: Posted and mailed, 1937