A change of season with this postcard, which depicts Winter in Watkins Glen State Park. This photo was also black and white, then colored before printing, so the colors are likely somewhat fantastic.
What appears to be damage in the lower center of the image is, rather, a printing problem. The description states:
In winter time, Watkins Glen State Park, is seldom visited as the various ice formations make the Glen inaccessible. In the summer season thousands of persons go through the gorge.
This card is part of a series believed to date from the 1950s.
Category: Postcards From Another Millennium
Postcards from various decades of the 20th century.
Rainbow Falls Cascade, Watkins Glen, New York
This image is similar to the previous one, in that it shows another portion of the Rainbow Falls area of Watkins Glen State Park. In this case, it is the cascade leading to the falls themselves. Again, this is hand colored from a black and white photograph, so the colors are quite fanciful.
There is no description on the back of this postcard, only the publisher’s mark: Genuine Curteich-Chicago “C.T. American Art” Post Card (Reg, U.S. Pat. Off.) Which is an abbreviation for the Patent Office.
This card is consistent with others in this set that are dated to the 1950s.
Rainbow Falls, Watkins Glen, New York – 1950s
Another, later view of Rainbow Falls in the gorge of Watkins Glen State Park, from a colored black and white photo, similar to this earlier post.
The description on the back states:
One of the most famous water falls in the Lakes Country is Rainbow Falls. Here in the late afternoon brilliant rainbows flash in the Summer’s sun. (sic)
— This postcard was used, and is dated May 1954.
Watkins Glen State Park, New York
The images of Watkins Glen continue with this folio of views from the park and surrounding areas. These images have some unexpected repetitions, but also show some of the surrounding area near the park.
The park preserves a deep canyon cut by Glen Creek, which empties into nearby Seneca Lake. It is located in the western end of New York state in the area known as the Finger Lakes region, due to the several very long, narrow and deep lakes all arrayed side by side.
This folio is dated on the front and is from 1957.
Minnehaha Falls, Watkins Glen, New York
This card shows a couple of different natural features of Watkins Glen State Park. The face of the card indicates it is a view of the Stone Gorge, but the description comments on another aspect of this location.
The description states:
Minnehaha Falls is one of the chief attractions of Watkins Glen, N.Y., one of America’s great beauty spots said to be over 50,000 year in the making.
–From the description, Minnehaha Falls is part of the Famous Stone Gorge, and while it is not clear from the description which of the two falls depicted is Minnehaha, in fact it is the one in the foreground.
There is no indication of the age or publisher of this card, but its similarity to others posted here indicates it is from the 1940’s.
Rainbow Falls, Watkins Glen, New York
This image features the Rainbow Falls area and a nearby cascade and walkway that illustrates the paths visitors might take when viewing the various sights in this park.
The description on the back of the card states:
Acclaimed one of the most beautiful waterfalls in America, Rainbow Falls in Watkins Glen, N. Y. derives its name from the brilliant rainbows that flash in the Summer sunlight.
As this was originally a black and white photo that was manually colored, there was no opportunity to capture the color effects mentioned in the description. There is no other commentary on the card, or indications of maker or publisher. It is very similar to other cards in this series that are believed to date from the 1940s.
Pluto Falls, Watkins Glen, New York
This image is from another postcard series, a different collection of painted black and white photos. This is the same image as seen here from earlier in the week. The elevation is higher, and the colors more fanciful.
There is no description on the back of this card, as was typical for postcards in the first half of the 20th century. It is believed this card dates from the 1940s from the style of photo and card design.
Central Cascade, Watkins Glen, New York
This image highlights the so-called Central Cascade of the Watkins Glen State Park. Beside the lower cascade is an observer, and above the falls is an observation point with two spectators to provide scale.
The scan illustrates the textured card stock used to provide a more complex look and feel. There is no description on the card, so there is no definitive indication of the date. The clothes on the observers points to the 1940s
Suspension Bridge, Watkins Glen, New York
Next postcard image is of the bridge above the river in Watkins Glen State Park. This image was obviously black and white originally, then creatively colored by an inspired illustrator.
There is no description on the back of the card. It is believed this card is later than the previous one, which did not have a series number in the lower corner, and is tentatively dated from the 1940s.
Pluto Falls, Watkins Glen, New York
This card begins an excursion at the Watkins Glen State Park near the village of the same name in upstate New York. The first card is a colored and edited image of Pluto Falls, a thin cascade that descends through a small fissure in the rocks to a pool below.
The water flow on this card has been enhanced and modified to provide a more dynamic appearance. This will be obvious in a later card showing the same image.
This card has no description on the back and was used. It is dated 28 August 1931.