Canal Locks Second to Panama, Seattle, WA, circa 1935

Subjects: Power & Water Works Ships & Boats Waterfronts & Harbors
Card type: Linen
Date: c. 1935 (Linen)

Back of Canal Locks Second to Panama, Seattle, WA, circa 1935, c. 1935 linen postcard — Back

About this postcard

Elevated view of the Government Locks at Ballard, with a vessel in the lock chamber and the spillway, bridges, and city and hills beyond. The printed caption calls the locks "Canal Locks Second to Panama," and the card's description says they can lift larger vessels than any government locks outside Panama. Completed in 1917, the canal gave Seattle a saltwater route to Lake Union and Lake Washington, turning the fresh-water lakes into harbors for ocean shipping.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pen

Went through this lock March 28, 1941

PublisherC. P. Johnston Co.

CANAL LOCKS SECOND TO PANAMA, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON CANAL LOCKS SECOND TO PANAMA The Canal is about eight miles long from Puget Sound to Lake Washington. It adds more than ninety miles to Seattle's water frontage and gives access for ocean shipping to the non-tidal fresh water harbors of Lake Union, in the heart of the City, and Lake Washington, twenty-five miles long and four wide, on the east boundary of Seattle. The right-of-way is 300 feet wide, the channel 100 feet wide, and the depth 36 feet. The locks are capable of lifting larger vessels than any government locks outside the Panama Canal. They are at the Puget Sound entrance of the canal and form the only barrier between the fresh water lakes, nine feet above Puget Sound at high tide, and salt water. The concrete walls are 55 feet high, 50 feet wide at the base, and 8 feet at the top. The major chamber is 825 feet long, 80 feet wide, and holds a depth of 50 feet of water. The minor chamber is 150 feet long and 30 feet wide. Ocean-going craft go through the larger chamber in twenty minutes and small craft through the smaller chamber in five to ten minutes. The total cost of the canal, including right-of-way, excavation, locks and other features, was $5,000,000 borne by the government, state, county and city.

Addressed to

No address detected

Postcard record

Publisher	C. P. Johnston Co.
Series	70 5A-H2653
Condition	Very good
Place depicted	Government Locks, Seattle, WA
Notes	Linen-textured stock with white border; Curt Teich "5A-H2653" series number indicates a 1935 printing. No postmark — unused card. Linen-textured 'C.T. Art-Colortone' back (C. P. Johnston Co., Seattle, Washington) with long printed description of the canal locks; photo credit "PHOTO BY FRANK H. NOWELL"; handwritten message "Went through this lock March 28, 1941" in blue ink; pencil initials "A.P." Slight edge/corner wear, light toning.

Cite this card

Canal Locks Second to Panama, Seattle, WA, circa 1935, postcard, c. 1935. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/canal-locks-second-to-panama-seattle-wa-circa-1935. Accessed November 2, 2026.