Locke Chinatown is the last remaining rural Chinatown in the United States! I got to enjoy the beautiful scenery driving along the Sacramento River on my way to Locke. During the Swamp and Overflow Act in 1861, Chinese immigrants came to help with the construction of levees to convert marshes to farm land. In 1915, after the Alien Land Law of 1913, arson destroyed neighboring areas in Walnut Grove, where Chinese and Japanese farm workers resided. They sought shelter in other areas, including Locke. I heard about Locke Chinatown through Shirley Kuramoto, the main speaker from the 2023 SJSU Day of Remembrance program. She is the descendant of the Kuramoto family, who ran the Locke Boarding House in 1921. It’s the blue building behind me! It was where the Asian workforce of the Sacramento Delta resided. In 1942, the Kuramoto family and Japanese residents of Locke were taken to concentration camps in Arizona and later split to separate camps, following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

This small park, hidden with trees and farmland, is so deeply connected to the roots of our Asian American history. I can’t wait to go back and visit again when I am in the Sacramento area!

Winter 2023