![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.comstocksmag.com\/sites\/main\/files\/imagecache\/lightbox\/main-images\/dsc_1499.png\" "\\"Stuart")
<\/a><\/p>\n\n Stuart Walthall, a long-time resident, musician and chair of the
\n Locke Foundation, is a driving force in the town of Locke.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n Chinese immigrants flocked to
\n Northern California in the latter half of the 19th century, drawn
\n by the Gold Rush and the money-earning opportunities that
\n mushroomed alongside it. In the Delta, those opportunities
\n included the grinding task of converting waterlogged marsh to
\n agricultural land. The Chinese laborers who did this reclamation
\n work lived in small \u201cChinatown\u201d neighborhoods on the outskirts of
\n existing towns.\n<\/p>\n
\n \n Local dignitaries gather to give opening speeches and kick off \n In 1915, the Chinatown in Walnut \n \n Marilyn Wong performs as part of the Capitol Chinese Orchestra.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n Existing on the fringes of the \n \n Sifu Alan Hubbard, leader of Eastern Ways Martial Arts, and chief \n By the mid-20th century, Chinese \n \n The lions greet enthralled children.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n Today, Locke is home to about 70 \n \n Louisa Yu, Jickmon Wong and Marilyn Wong performing as the \n Visitors can peek into several \n \n A child reaches out to pet one of the lions.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n An inflatable horse \u2014 2026\u2019s \n \n Arianna Sanchez performs during the martial arts demonstration \n In addition to lion dances, \n \n Visitors enjoying a stroll along Main Street in Locke.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n If you missed Locke\u2019s Lunar New<\/a><\/p>\n
\n the Chinese New Year celebration.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n Grove burned down, prompting the displaced residents to build a
\n hotel and a handful of other buildings on nearby land leased from
\n owner George Locke. (The builders couldn\u2019t buy the land because
\n of the California Alien Land Law of 1913, which made it illegal
\n to sell farmland to Asian immigrants.)\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n mainstream, it attracted both people who were barred from
\n participating in that world and those who wanted to escape it
\n through temporary portals such as speakeasies, gambling halls and
\n opium dens. At its peak, it was home to over 1,000
\n residents.\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n instructor Tai Simo Molina pose with Peaches, who is almost 17
\n years old.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n Americans had broader opportunities to live and work in
\n California, and many of the descendants of Locke\u2019s early
\n inhabitants moved to more straight-walled and dry-soiled cities
\n and suburbs. The buildings aged but stayed mostly upright, their
\n out-of-the-way location shielding them from the waves of urban
\n renewal that claimed many other stretches of 19th- and early
\n 20th-century vernacular architecture around the state.\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n people, most of whom are not of Chinese descent. Still, its small
\n Main Street is an homage to its heyday as a Delta
\n Chinatown.\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n Capitol Chinese Orchestra. The orchestra\u2019s mission is to promote
\n Chinese music by playing to the public and training musicians.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n buildings preserved as 20th-century time capsules, like the Dai
\n Loy Gambling Hall with tables still set for craps and dominoes,
\n the Jan Ying Museum displaying heirlooms like Chinese screens and
\n ceramics brought across the Pacific, and the Chinese School
\n Museum flanked with busts of Confucius and Sun Yat-Sen. Scattered
\n among these are stores selling sundries like used books, vintage
\n clothing and art, in addition to a Chinese Cultural Shop that
\n sells souvenirs and pamphlets related to Locke\u2019s history.\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n Chinese zodiac animal \u2014 appeared in front of the Confucius bust
\n during the Lunar New Year festivities Feb. 14. The shiplap
\n buildings, some of which are bulging with age and sinking into
\n the soft ground, were brightened up with red-and-gold banners and
\n strings of Chinese lanterns as hundreds of visitors thronged the
\n narrow Main Street.\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n put on by Eastern Ways Martial Arts.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n martial arts, tai chi and musical performances, attendees could
\n watch the documentary \u201cVoices: Chinese Women of the
\n Delta<\/a>\u201d or a lecture on
\n the Owyang family, one of the oldest and most prominent Chinese
\n families in the region.\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n Year festival, you can still visit the town to learn about
\n Chinese history in the Delta. Most stores and museums are open on
\n the weekend, and guided walking tours are available with prior
\n notice. For more information, contact the Locke Foundation<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n