PBS Continues To Spread Misinformation on Locke

Recently Georgia Public Broadcasting and NPR affiliates of PBS published a piece on Locke, titled, "This Historic California Town Is A Living Legacy To The Chinese Immigrant Experience" by John Ruwitch.  Well, sadly the article is chocked full of historical errors. Nothing surprises me anymore, but it sure is frustrating to see history being pushed that is not only false, but very blatantly one-sided. 

Anyone who knows me, knows I love the quote by Cicero that states, “It is the first law of history that the writer should neither dare to advance what is false, nor suppress what is true.”

I literally live by that quote. When I started researching the history of Locke, and started to peel back the layers, like an onion, I realized there was so much history within this town-- but the scary part was that there was a group of people dead set on keeping the real history forgotten and buried. The more I dug, and the more I found this out, the more I wanted to shine a light on the truth for everyone to see. And honestly, I will never stop. I will keep digging and sharing the facts with the world. I am like a pit bull, and once I get hold of something "God help you," 'cause I am not going to let it go.

Going back  to this particular article, I wanted to briefly go through a few of the points they attempted to push, which are clearly false or misleading and instead share with you the facts.

As the journalist John Ruwitch wrote about the scenery of the location being  like an “rundown movie set for a Western.” Well, that’s because it was. Documented history shows that the town was actually built by Caucasian carpenters. It was made exactly like any other western town was built back then, and I could take you to town after town across the entire United States and show you the architecture is the same.  Locke was no exception.

One thing that people don’t seem to understand, because certain people continue to perpetuate a continued lie over and over, year after year, but Locke was not “Founded by Chinese immigrants.” As hard as it is to believe this, the documented history shows that Locke was founded by a lot of people, and yes, Chinese were among those who helped start the town, but it was not founded by them.

Why is it that the Locke family are always a footnote or an afterthought when it comes to the history of their town? That is something people should really think about. Had it not been for the Locke family, the town of Lockeport (or later Locke) would not even exist. Period.

Going back to the article, there are a lot of errors in it that the public should be made aware of.

For one, the fact that Chinese never owned land in Locke had absolutely nothing to do with the Exclusion Act.  It was because the land was owned by the Locke family, and they were never going to break it up and sell it. It was their estate. The Locke family allowed a town to be built on their private property for a reason, and it was for their own benefit. It was never about discriminating.

In fact, there were many Chinese in Locke who owned businesses and voted, (they are in the voting registry) and they couldn’t have voted back then unless they were citizens, which meant they had “papers.” Legitimate or not, if they had papers that meant they could own land. Remember, the only ones who couldn’t own land were the ones who were “immigrants.” Many of the Chinese had “fake papers,” which said they were born here, thus they had the right to own land, and therefore that silly theory about them not being able to own land goes right out the window.

Lockeport had already ‘started’ per se,  a few years before the Walnut Grove fire, when the Locke’s had buildings constructed near their Packing House and their Lodging house to cater to their workers and the railroad workers (who by the way were also Caucasian). The Locke Boarding House predates all the buildings in Locke, and has absolutely no history within the Chinese residents in town.

Also, the Libby, McNeil, Libby company had purchased a piece of land literally on the north western tip of where the Locke family’s property sat, and they were building their new cannery during the early part of 1915. Mr. Locke knew that this cannery would bring in a lot of people to work. What better way to cater to them than to have a small town less than ½ mile down Old River Road?

Lockeport was in its early beginnings before the Walnut Grove fire, but by October 1915, when the fire occurred, the Lockes agreed to allow some of the Chinese families (as well as others from all different countries) to come to Locke to start over. Mr. Locke cleared 14 acres of his own orchard (that wasn’t cheap; even back then) to clear an area for the town to be built up. He invested his own money into the town, too.

He had saloons and brothels built, and those continued to run for many, many years. The post office was established in Lockeport, and it was Clay Locke who was the post master. George Carlton was the town constable. Tell me again how the town was founded by Chinese?

Now, let’s get to the mention of Al the Wop’s.  Al came to Locke and was very good friends with the Locke family.  In fact, when he came to Locke in the early 1930s he opened up his restaurant known as “The New Locke Café.” The Chinese didn’t do any favors for him, he came because he wanted to start over in a small town and the Locke family were his friends. Again, it is very easy to make stuff up about a dead person when he isn't here to confirm it. It seems to be a habit over there.

Locke, from its very beginnings was a cultural melting pot of people from all nations. As time went on even more people flocked to Locke, and by the 1930 Census records show 550 residents of Locke, (136 separate "households"). Most of the residents at the time were Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, American, Italian, along with Swedish, German, Japanese, Filipino, Mexican, Turkish, Armenian and various others.

For those of you interested in the true history of Locke, I encourage you to dig deep. Go to the primary sources, not books by other writers pushing their agendas. Go to the source. Go as far back as possible, That is how you find the truth. I cannot emphasize that enough.

Locke is a beautiful town and has a wonderful and colorful history, but a history full of all walks of life that helped create and build it. Not just one group. 

(Copyright 2021- J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

All the content that is published on this site or any of my blogs under my profile J'aime Rubio or Dreaming Casually © is my property and is protected by all applicable Copyright Laws. No part of my work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from me, the publisher/author J'aime Rubio

 

History of the Dai Loy Museum

When visiting Locke, California, you might wander into the Dai Loy Museum. This historic building was once one of several gambling halls that was popular, especially during the 1920's. The hall itself is said to have been constructed in 1916 and remained a gambling hall until it was shut down in the 1950's. This blog will not touch on the earlier times this building has seen as a gambling hall, but instead this blog post will primarily focus on the museum itself: when it was opened, who was involved and so forth.

According to archived newsletters from the Sacramento River Delta Historical Society (which I have obtained 40 years worth of copies of), I have been able to form a timeline and a brief history of the Dai Loy Museum and some of the people who made the museum possible. All notations below are compiled from said newsletters.

The Dai Loy Museum Project

A project that took over seven weeks and 40 members of the historical society to complete, "scrubbing, sorting, cleaning, sweeping, repairing, painting and fixing," the building to make it available to be used as a museum open to the public.

On April 29th and 30th, of 1977, the Dai Loy Museum celebrated its Grand Opening. The cost to enter was $5 per person, and it started at 6 p.m. and ended at 9 p.m.  It was opened every weekend until November and remained that way for many years.  All volunteers were members of the historical society (SRDHS).

By 1979, the River News Herald in Rio Vista reported that the town of Locke was awarded $140,000 history grant, which was the 5th largest grant from the Department of Interior's Historic Preservation Fund.

In 1980, Bob James, Galen & Maryn Whitney, Jim and Barbara Dahlberg, Loyal Mealer and Clarence Pratt worked hard to revamp the museum, keeping exhibits repaired and restored on a constant basis.  Clarence is mentioned a lot over the years, and it appears he was the one who spearheaded the project and became the No. 1 docent at the museum for many years (along with his wife, Emma).

By 1981, the museum had been opened for only 4 years, but had already seen a total of 45,000 visitors. In that season alone they received 11,443 visitors.

In 1982, Brother Dennis from St. Mary's College donated: an old straw hat, straw war shield, wooden spear and wooden flute to the museum.  Marie Camozzi, a former operator of the Tule's Restaurant in Locke,  donated a framed photo. Tim Wilson donated account books and Lind and Ed Dutra installed fire extinguishers to the building for safety. The 1982 season saw a total of 11,579 visitors.

In 1983, there are notations that three tour companies were making regular trips to Locke: Exploration Cruise Lines, Yankee Tours and Cherokee Tours. Clarence Pratt was always there at the museum to guide all the visitors around.  By that time there had been visitors from 40 states in the U.S. as well as 24 countries. There were also regular schools having field trips to Locke from all over the bay area.  During that season, other museum volunteers running the place were Paul and Lucy Barnes. By the end of the 1983 season, the museum had received a total of 15,000 visitors.

1984 saw 6,642 visitors between March and June, and the volunteers for that season included Jim Dahlberg, Jim Gualco, Don Quesenberry and Bob Peters.

By 1985, there had been 5,502 visitors between March and June, from 29 states and 23 countries. Donations to the museum included:  Chinese bench from the "old men's club" by Frances Armstrong, a soy jug for display from Kathie Graham, the Estate of Bob Suen donated a Chinese sign from the Locke Sportsmen's Club, Glyta Hedges (from Lake Tahoe) donated a photo of Locke and Walnut Grove. Iva Corder (from Isleton) donated newspaper clippings from 1972 about Isleton. Gregg Campbell donated a transcribed oral history about Portuguese and Japanese in Freeport, Jim Bullock donated an old highway map.  Steve Simmons donated a Delta Country book, and Edwin and Enid Wright donated four albums of the historical society's history.

Unfortunately, by 1987 there were some sudden changes within the museum.  By the 10th Anniversary, and after seeing a grand total of 115,000 visitors over the span of a decade, there were those who felt that the museum needed to change.  As the historical society's newsletter states, they "removed things that were not strictly applicable to the Chinese Experience in the Delta and Locke itself" -- those removed items were said to be incorporated in the Delta History Gallery at the SRDHS office. "Attention is once again clearly focused on the Gambling Hall motif."

So, we do not know today what the SRDHS had originally displayed in the building. It seems as if perhaps at one point the museum actually had some relics and exhibits on display that showed there were others in Locke during its early days, but someone decided to "remove" those items. This was around same time period that Clarence Pratt resigned because of failing health of his wife, Emma. I wonder if some of the members waited until Clarence left to implement these changes?

By 1988, the newsletters mention that the second floor of the museum had to be closed due to a lack of fire escape and it had to do with insurance coverage. "The floor is spongy and needs repairs, the footing underneath the building needs replacement." Sadly, it appears the building is still in bad shape, the last time I was there I noticed the "spongy" floors and it's 2017, that was 29 years ago that this notation was published!

Clarence Pratt

1988 was the same year Clarence Pratt passed away as well.  Clarence was 85 years old. He grew up in Lodi, and worked on Dennis Leary's ranch as a carpenter and maintenance man for over 50 years. His obituary in the Lodi News Sentinel names him for the restoration effort to open the museum. He was interred in the Mausoleum at Lodi Memorial Cemetery alongside his wife, Emma.  To this day there is a plaque in the Dai Loy Museum honoring Clarence Pratt's efforts to the museum. You can see the photograph as you walk down the hall to the "Money Room."

The 1989 newsletters begin to mention Connie King as volunteering for special tours along with Carol Watson. I also found a notation that Senator John Garamendi (D) from Walnut Grove, had presented a "motion for a feasibility study to incorporate Locke into the State Parks System." It also adds that the motion passed by a unanimous vote.  The season total of visitors to the museum for 1989 was 9,000.

Between 1990-1992 we find changes to the newsletters' mentioning the museum. Where they once introduced each newsletter with positive comments about the museum and all the progress that had been made, by the early 1990's it seems there was a change in the wind. By June 1990, it mentions that an agreement had been made between the historical society and Clarence Chu (Locke Properties, Inc.) that Chu would take over the museum and staff it himself. It states the historical society would still remain responsible for the exhibits but that they would no longer be "involved" in the staffing of the museum.  The 1992 newsletters add that the "joint operation with Clarence Chu of  Asian City Development is working well. The museum building has been sold to the company with the provision that it remain a museum. The Society rents the artifacts to the corporation and the "complicated" arrangement seems to have everyone happy."

As time went on you find less and less mention of the museum since the historical society no longer ran it.  What has happened from 1992 to the present is anyone's guess, as I have yet to find anything in books or online documenting any changes or progress made. If by chance I do find it, I will post it here.

In ending this, I just wanted to give everyone a timeline of when the building became a museum, who was directly involved in the process and who helped keep it going over the years. In future posts I will be getting deeper into the stories of gambling, opium dens and of course the brothels in Locke. But today, I wanted to share with you all the information I discovered on the Dai Loy Museum's history.

(J'aime Rubio -- Copyright 2017 - www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

The Watchmen of Locke

During my research into Locke's truly captivating past, I have been able to identify at least two of Locke's watchmen. The first on record was of course, George Carlton. Not only was he listed as "Watchman" for the "Town of Locke" on the census records, he was also noted as the constable in both voting registries and in several newspaper articles of the time. George Carlton was living in Locke as early as 1916, which is when the town was being built up and officially recognized as a town with its very own post office. The post master was Clay Locke, heir to the Locke ranch, and grandson of George W. Locke, the man for which the town of Locke was named.

Carlton came from English/German born parents, so the idea of using the term "Watchman" would not have been a new one, especially if his father was from England. The "Watchman" or "Constable" from his father's time period went hand in hand.  The Dictionary defines a watchman as " a person who keeps guard over a building at night, to protect it from fire, vandals, or thieves." It also means "a person who guards or patrols the streets at night."

 According to the Parliament.uk's website going even as far back as the mid 1700's in England, many times towns allowed Acts to be passed that "often included provision for paid watchmen or constables to patrol towns at night," because of lack of policemen to watch over every area. Even the name "Constable" is a British term that was often used in the U.S., even back in 1916. In fact, going back to the late 1800's in my hometown of Anaheim, even our own local law enforcement went by the names "Constable" or "Watchman" at that time period.

By 1930, George Carlton was still in Locke but now listed as Assistant Post Master. He eventually left at some point during 1930 because his death is listed in Los Angeles County by December of that year.

Besides George Carlton, there was only one other watchman I could find during my research into this subject. The other person's name was Hoy Key (sometimes also mentioned as Boy Key) and he was the Bok-Bok man of Locke. Hoy Key was born sometime around 1892, and when he immigrated to the U.S. is unknown. What we do know is that he eventually found his way to Locke, and made it his lifelong home.

How that term "Bok Bok" came about I am unsure, but some have speculated because of the sound he made while hitting a wooden box that he carried while walking the streets at night. He was keeping an eye out for fires, and the clicking sound he made on the hour every hour while he was working his nightly watch gave residents reassurance that their homes were safe.

According to the Sacramento Delta Historical Society's newsletter from June of 1985, Hoy Key passed away the spring of 1984, at the age of 92. It said he had been the Bok Bok man for many years until retiring in 1954. Perhaps he took over when George Carlton left?

Hoy Key remained in Locke the rest of his life until he passed away, and it was mentioned that during the creation of the Dai Loy Museum, he assisted with the curators and volunteers in setting up the gambling tables in the museum (along with Joe Chow and Ping Lee) to  make sure everything was set up authentically for the exhibit.

Over the years I have read several internet sites mention the "Legend of the Bok-Bok Man" as if he was some sort of scary spirit haunting Locke. That is not only ridiculous but very disrespectful in my opinion. This man must have really loved Locke to remain there all those years, and I am sure he was proud of the time he spent working as the night watchman for Locke, keeping the town safe from fires. We should honor both men's legacies for the work they did, and in no way disrespect their roles, downplay or attach fabricated lore to them, because they were real people with real lives, and they deserve that much, if not more.

Let us always remember the night watchmen of Locke, George Carlton and Hoy Key.

(Copyright 2017- J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

A Sad Suicide In Locke

View of the Sacramento River (near Walnut Grove/Locke)

On Sunday, September 11, 1921, fishermen on the Sacramento River near Locke discovered the body of Toi So Hoy, 45, resident of Locke. Upon arriving, Deputy Sheriff's Cook and Johnson started an investigation into the cause of death as well as establishing the identity of the man.  According to the Sacramento Union Newspaper, "The discovery of the body and its condition led the authorities to believe the Chinese had been slain. The throat had been slit and there was every evidence of a crime. Officials declared yesterday, however, that it was a case of suicide, as they learned the Chinese had long been in ill health and had threatened self destruction repeatedly."

As it turned out he was suffering with an advanced case of tuberculosis and had been ill for some time. It was determined that Hoy cut his throat and then flung himself into the river.

There are no records that I could find of that mention if he was buried at a cemetery or not. So as far as we know, this newspaper mention of his death is the only record we have that he existed.  Let us remember Mr. Toi So Hoy, and the painful and very tragic way he died.


(Copyright, 2017- J'aime Rubio - www.jaimerubiowriter.com )

1926 Voting Registry Reveals Even More History

On this blog so far I have shown the names of registered voters living in Locke going as far back as 1916-1918, 1920-1922 and now I have the list from 1926, and trust me folks, I am far from being done here! I am going to keep digging and keep posting all the documentation that is out there, so the world can know the all encompassing history of Locke. Not just the history that others want to present to you. The world deserves to know all of it.

According to the 1926 Voting Registry which was noted as "Precinct 89 of Assembly District 15" the registered voters living in Locke were as follows:

1. Charlie Adams, Laborer 
2. Fred Bard, Merchant
3. Kai Chan, Rancher
4. Lin D. Chan, Merchant
5. Chin King, Merchant
6. Gan M. Chow, Merchant
7. Kam Chun, Merchant
8. Mrs. Helen Clarke, Hotel Keeper
9. Edward J. Danfrath, Foreman
10. Ernest Everly, Clerk
11. Herbert Fox, Ranch Hand
12. Dai B. Gan, Merchant
13. Frank R. Gomes, Jr., Laborer 
14. Chester S. Heath, Ranch Hand
15. Cleveland Hill, Carpenter
16. Mrs. Daisy Jones, Housewife
17. Edward H. Jones, Bridge Tender
18. Lee Bing, Merchant
19. Mrs. Dorothy E. Lewis, Waitress
20. Miss June B. Moore, Singer
21. Alfred L. Muller, Warehouse Manager
22. Mrs. Pinkie I. Muller, Housewife
23. Mrs. Betty Parkison, Housewife
24. Clement G. Parkison, Merchant
25. Guy Read, Clerk
26. Max J. Reese, Laborer
27. Samuel W. Sanfillipo, Clerk
28. William Schaak, Laborer
29. James T. Slater, Mechanic
30. Henry B. Starr, Barber

What I gather from this list is some pretty interesting people. For instance, we have a singer, a hotel keeper, a barber,  and many more people, including several couples who were living there in Locke, who were not Chinese. Again, this is more proof that Locke was a town full of diversity from its beginnings, with both Chinese & Caucasian, as well as many others. In this list we even see an Italian and Portuguese man registered as a voter/resident as well. 

(J'aime Rubio, Copyright 2017-- www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

New Locke Barber Shop Business Card Found!

Here is a photo of an interesting little piece of history found at an antique shop in Stockton back on August 6, 2016. Take a look at this old business card. 

According to my research, a haircut in the 1920's and 1930's was anywhere between .40 and .50 cents...and by the 1950's it was about $1.42. Given this information, I am guessing that this business "New Locke Barber Shop" operated around the mid to late 1920's in Locke, California. 

This only further proves, as I have stated many times in my various blogs, that Locke was not exclusively inhabited by Chinese, but was a mix of Chinese, Caucasian, Japanese and other European immigrants from its very start.

By the way, the little arrows pointing to the part that says "Two White Barbers" was done by the antique shop owner, who encased the card in plexiglass. He was adamant that Locke was not solely Chinese either, and made it very clear that was why he put the arrows below the card to show proof.

According to Locke resident and business owner, Martha Esch, Al Adami started the "New Locke Cafe" in 1934, which was later changed to Al's Place aka Al the Wops, so that name "New Locke" must have meant something for the residents at that time period. 

(Copyright 2016-2017, J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com) 

Photo by J'aime Rubio (copyright 2016)

Alien Land Law of 1913 - Did Not Apply To Residents of Locke

This blog is meant to be an unbiased look at Locke's history, and I stand by that whole-heartedly. One thing that really bothers me is that certain people who claim to be the "official" ones preserving Locke's history in Locke, have been promoting a very one-sided approach to sharing its history.

In various plaques within the town you will see their mentioning of the Alien Land Law of 1913, and how it discriminated against Chinese in Locke. First and foremost let's make two things clear:

The Alien Land Law of 1913, which is also known as the Webb-Haney Act prohibited ANY aliens from owning property in California. From the beginning, it focused on Japanese immigrants first. It was not specifically against Chinese, but branched out to include all Asians (except Filipinos) and even included East Indians who were not eligible for citizenship.

Still, there was always a way to skirt around the law, which is exactly what happened.

"The intent of the law was to restrict land ownership by Japanese immigrants. However, by assigning ownership of land to second generation children, born in the United States and thus citizens, or by the use of extended leases the law could be evaded."---(http://www.intimeandplace.org/Japanese%20Internment/reading/constitution/alienlandlaw.html)

Back to Locke 

Secondly, the law has never applied to Locke and never will. Why? Because Locke was private property owned by the Locke family long before it became a town, and it remained in the Locke family estate until the last of all the Locke heirs passed away. 

So because no part of Locke was ever for sale when owned by the Locke family, and no part of Locke was offered for sale to any other persons the law could never apply to Chinese residents in Locke. In other words, the Chinese were not refused the opportunity to purchase land in Locke, it was just that no part of Locke was ever for sale when the Locke family owned it.

This was simply private property owned by a family who at one point in time very generously allowed people of all races and ethnic backgrounds to build homes and businesses on their land, and they were considered tenants of said property owners (The Locke family) whose tenants paid rent monthly to their landlords. So you see, the Locke’s never had any intention to sell their land at any point in time so they could never be guilty of withholding property from anyone based on their ethnic background or nationality. So the Alien Land Law of 1913 cannot apply.

The residents of Locke didn’t own the property they lived on, not because of racial prejudice, but simply because the owners of the property never had any intention to sell it, to anyone. They preferred keeping their property in their family estate. There is nothing discriminatory about that.  The late Connie King was quoted in an interview for the Locke Oral History Project for the Parks Department, when she mentioned speaking to Mr. Locke (I am assuming Clay Locke, grandson of George W. Locke, who lived on his ranch there until his death in 1963) and in regards to being asked why residents in Locke (after 1952) could not own their homes in town, she stated:   “See, I talk to Mr. Locke several times because I help him collect rent, see, so I said, “Why can’t you?” He said, “Because this land is owned by the Locke family and the family’s too big and not everybody agreed to sell.”  So that’s what happened.”--- quoted from transcript in  “Locke Oral History Project,” written by Maya Beneli, interviewed by Patrick Ettinger, Ph.D.,page 206.

In reality, and you can check the property records on this, Locke belonged to the Locke family from its beginnings all the way until the last of the Locke heirs passed away in 1969. It wasn’t until after the Locke’s had all passed away and the estate went into probate that a Chinese businessman from China came in and purchased the entire parcel in the 1970’s, which they intended to create a Chinese Amusement Park where the town is. That businessman Ng Tor Tai, is the brother-in-law of Clarence Chu.  No one ever brings up the fact that from the 1970’s until the County stepped in over 25 years later, the homes in Locke were unavailable for residents to own as well. It is a well-known fact that during that time period it was Ng Tor Tai who owned the town, and the entire parcel that once was the Locke Estate, and he had not offered the properties to residents to own, but in fact allowed the town to fall into such disrepair during that time the town was about to be condemned.

Local government had to get involved to save Locke and then eventually those who had homes in Locke had the opportunity to own each individual property.  Why then is it that this part of Locke’s history is never is mentioned? Yet, this false narrative that somehow residents were deprived of owning their homes between 1916-1953, because of some archaic land law or discrimination against Chinese is what is constantly pushed, when that simply wasn’t so. There seems to be double standards in this case since no one seems to complain that the later owner of Locke, Ng Tor Tai, for all the years of him owning the land, he didn’t offer the properties to residents either. Where is the outrage about that?

Historical Accuracy --The Census records for Locke going back to its early beginnings show that Locke was inhabited by a lot of different people, not solely Chinese. I have been researching Locke’s history for several years now and I have many of my findings on this blog which is backed up by primary source materials. Please feel free to read more about it, here are just a few links:

1.       http://lockehistory.blogspot.com/2016/05/early-voting-registries-tell-different.html

2.       http://lockehistory.blogspot.com/2016/04/1930-census-shows-diversity.html

Yes, many Chinese lived in Locke, there is no denying that, but it was NOT exclusively lived in, built for and ran by Chinese. To say that Locke was exclusively a Chinese town would be revising the facts and that is history revisionism, and that is morally wrong. 

 Also, many of the Chinese living in Locke had fake papers (“Paper Sons”), meaning they had obtained fraudulent identification to show they were “Citizens” and not immigrants.  What did that mean for them?  It meant some of them could vote, own businesses and yes, even own land! 

 I have seen page by page lists of the voting registries of Locke going so far back as 1916 and census records from 1920 to the 1930’s showing there was diversity in Locke. Chinese and Caucasian residents, as well as Japanese in its earlier years, and later Russian, Italian, Portuguese as well as many other residents of various ethnic backgrounds.  Going back to the early 1916-1918 voting registries, a registered VOTER on the list meant they were listed as Citizens. 

Lee Bing was one of the people in Locke’s earlier history. The book “Bitter Melons” by Jeff Gillenkirk and James Motlow quoted Lee Bing’s son as saying his father “bought a lot of land” because, as it reads, “That law [ about Chinese not owning land] was pretty flexible.” – page 34.  Another thing to note, Lee Bing was an immigrant from China, who was using fake papers, and yet he owned land all over California, including Walnut Grove. As the book plainly states, the law was pretty flexible.

So in ending, I hope that you will see that the narrative that somehow the former residents of Locke were prevented from owning their homes because of some archaic land law is actually false. Locke was never for sale and was never going to be for sale as long as the Locke family had ownership of it, therefore there was no discrimination against anyone. In fact, it was quite the opposite. When in other areas of the state if Chinese or Japanese immigrants who might have wanted to purchase land but were denied because of the law, at least in Locke the Locke family allowed Chinese, Japanese and all sorts of other immigrants to rent from them and live there in peace.

 Again, you must remember, the law only applied if (a) you were an alien and (b) if you were attempting to purchase land or property that was actually for sale. This did not apply in Locke because the Locke family never had any intention to break up their estate and sell it. Another thing to mention was that there were plenty of residents within Locke who had the ability to purchase land or property elsewhere if they wished to, because they used false identification (Paper Sons) in order to claim citizenship. If you were considered a citizen, you could vote, own businesses and yes, even own land or property. So not all Chinese immigrants were barred from owning land or property, as even Ping Lee mentioned in his quoted interview in "Bitter Melons." 

(Copyright 2017) - J'aime Rubio  www.jaimerubiowriter.com

George W. Locke & His Family Legacy

Young photo of George W. Locke

George Washington Locke, Sr., was born in New Hampshire on June 13, 1830. Raised and educated in his home state, by the age of fifteen George moved to Boston, Massachusetts, in order to secure his future as a businessman in the mercantile industry. After moving to Boston, he started working at a wall-paper manufacturer, staying there for six years and absorbing all he could about the business.

When George decided to try his luck in California, he then moved to Sacramento in 1852.  Three years later, he formed a lucrative and lasting partnership with Samuel Lavenson, creating the firm 'Locke & Lavenson' which was located on J street between Third and Fourth.  By 1856, George Locke married Louisa Harmon, daughter of Captain Daniel Harmon of Boston. This union would bear three children; Ella, George Granville and Carrie Locke.

Over time 'Locke & Lavenson' became one of the top mercantile businesses in all of Sacramento, offering only the best in products: fine carpets, draperies, window shades, awnings, oil-cloths, etc. In 1900, nearly 45 years after the start of their business, Samuel Lavenson passed away, leaving the business now solely in the hands of the last surviving partner, George Locke, Sr.  Now was the time for George to begin slowing down and allowing his son, George Jr., to run the show.

George W. Locke, Sr., was not just a mercantile pioneer and one of the oldest merchants in Sacramento, he was also a very wealthy landowner. He had ranches all over Sacramento County and beyond. Some land was used for cattle, horses and sheep, while others were used as a dairy ranches or for agricultural purposes such as orchards and farming, known as George W. Locke & Son. Their pears and asparagus were grown, packed and shipped from their property (where Locke is today) and sent out at the wharf on the riverboat, "The Pride of the River."

George Sr.'s namesake, George Granville Locke was the one who took over his father’s properties when his father decided to retire in his later years. George and Louisa never lived in the town of Locke, their residence was at 1601 L Street in Sacramento, where they remained until their deaths.

On August 21, 1909, at the age of 79, George W. Locke, Sr., passed away at his home. He had been battling illness for some time. He was buried at the Masonic Cemetery in Sacramento, that is adjacent to the historic Sacramento City Cemetery.

In his later years, George G. Locke moved to Southern California, leaving his son, George R. Locke (3rd) to run his father's business mercantile store G.W. Locke & Son, in Sacramento. George R. may have allowed his brothers Clay & Lloyd to take over the area near the Delta, and run the agricultural aspects of the family business, but he would remain a co-owner of the land and very much involved with all the goings on in Locke as you can read in my other posts regarding the "houses of ill repute" in Locke.

Although neither George W. Locke or his son, George G. Locke lived in Locke, both grandchildren, Lloyd and Clay chose to reside on the family ranch nearby. George R. Locke remained in Sacramento.  Eventually Lloyd would leave Locke, and it would be Clay and his wife Alice that remained.

Clay's home is still standing just northeast of where Locke's historic downtown is today. It isn't easy to spot, as the road that takes you there is private property up River Road a bit. 

Clay was born on December 20, 1890 in Sacramento, California. The son of George Granville Locke and Alice Smith, and grandson to George Washington Locke.

Clay was one of four siblings: George Robert, Alice, and Lloyd Harmon Locke. When Clay was only three years old, his older sister Alice died from diphtheria. According to newspaper reports, she was only seven years old at the time of her death. She is buried at the Masonic Cemetery in Sacramento.

Clay lived at 1701 K Street in Sacramento, until around 1915-1916, when he permanently moved to Locke, around the same time that many Chinese from Walnut Grove came to set up residence on the Locke property.  

Clay would remain there until his death on July 31, 1963, at the age of 72. Clay ran the family business and farmed his land his entire life though sadly he has been all but forgotten as well.

(2015- J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

History Revived In Locke

Locke. California

This past Sunday, the Native Sons of the Golden West dedicated a bronze plaque in Locke, in order to honor what they claim to be the history of the town. If you read the wording on the plaque, their information is vague at best, and the last part of it doesn't have anything to do with Locke's early history at all. I contacted the NSGW twice in the past several months and received no response. It wasn't until a Facebook post on the California History group when I was able to speak to another member of the NSGW, and explain to him that the wording they chose was too exclusionary.

In a private message he admitted to me that he agreed Locke was not an exclusively Chinese town, although he didn't explain why his group allowed a plaque with such exclusionary and erroneous information to be erected. Obviously he wasn't the one who researched the history of Locke, so I couldn't really be upset with him personally, but someone out there somewhere who was responsible for making sure of its accuracy really dropped the ball to allow so much misinformation to continue to be perpetuated.

Most people look at those historic landmark plaques and assume that it wouldn't be in a plaque, a permanent fixture meant to last a lifetime if it wasn't true. It appears that most of the people in charge of historical research today, aren't really researching as well as they claim to be, otherwise Locke's complete history would have been made known long ago.  Thankfully there are people such as myself who continue to search for the back stories, the deeper research, and seek out primary sources to find out the whole history of Locke, from its beginnings to the present.

On Saturday, April 23, 2016, a day before the NSGW dedicated their bronze plaque, store owner Martha Esch posted her own plaque or sign you could call it, summarizing a more well rounded history of the town of Lockeport (aka Locke) from its earliest beginnings up to the present day. She asked me to verify certain sources, which I already had in my possession, so I was happy to help her in this effort to revive Locke's true history.

When I first came to Locke several years ago, I had heard the stories that the town had been built by and for the Chinese. I really didn't have any reason to doubt it at first, so I didn't think much of it at the time. I mean, why wouldn't you believe it if everywhere you look that is what is being told, right? It wasn't really until I started researching the town of Ryde, just on the other side of the river to the south, that I started really uncovering more information about the Georgiana Township, that these Delta towns belong and learned of the Locke family. I recognized the last name in story tied to the Ryde Hotel, and decided to check and see if that person, Clay Locke was in any way affiliated with the town of Locke just across the river.

I started doing some research at the library, and after reading some books on the subject, I noticed most of them did not cite their sources, and when they did, the sources were for the most part just books by other authors who cited other books by other authors, instead of using primary sources. So I decided to go back farther, to all the primary and secondary sources I could find. Census records, directories, voting registries, etc., I read all I could find on Locke, spending hundreds of hours of personal research with no intention of publishing it, just for my own curiosity. From the architecture of the town, the people who owned businesses and lived there, legal troubles and scandals in the news, and the history of the Locke family themselves, I searched it all and continued to be amazed at what I found.

As I started digging further and further into the past, I noticed that there were not just Chinese living in Locke from the beginning, there were all sorts of people in the town, and living all over the Locke family property, which was also considered part of Locke. I noticed names of people coming from all walks of life; Americans, European immigrants, Japanese, etc.  It started to bother me as time went on, because it appeared that not only had the Locke family been basically erased from the history of Locke all together, or merely mentioned for a sentence or two in most books, but the other residents of Locke from its early beginnings had been forgotten as well. I realized there was so much more history that went on in that little town of Locke, and for the most part, none of it had been written about before. The question I had was, WHY?

One day, while I was on one of my photography trips to Locke a few years back, I ran into a lady by the name of Martha Esch. She's a very talented painter who owns The Shack, an art gallery on the corner of Levee and Main Streets in Locke. When I first saw her, I noticed she had a painting in her hand, a portrait of a man from the 1800s. When I approached her about her painting, she told me that it was a man named George Locke. I was so happy to hear that someone other than myself knew who George Locke was, and she immediately smiled with joy that I knew who he was, too. We talked for about an hour or so, while she showed me census records and newspaper clippings in her art gallery that I too had copies of at my own home. She was amazed at the research I had done, and we started sharing information.

She told me that she first heard of George Locke when she first moved there several years back. According to Esch, when she asked one of the residents there, Clarence Chu, who George Locke was, he told her that he was Chinese merchant. She did some research on her own and learned quickly that was not true. She then when to search census records and found the same things I did, residents from other ethnic backgrounds living in Locke!  Eventually she approached the board in Locke* and asked them about the fact that a lot of the towns history had been untold, or better yet, told inaccurately, and that was when they began to give her trouble. I guess the people in charge there like the history they have set in stone, and don't want anyone questioning it, even if they have verifiable research to show the accepted history isn't actually completely accurate history.

Esch also claims today that by her questioning the accepted history of the town several years ago, that was one of the major factors in why the L.M.A. chose to give her legal troubles later on. As she states she believes it was primarily because of the board members personal dislike for her that they chose to fight her over the purchase of her building, but that they used their bylaws as the legal excuse to sue her.

(*Note: Martha claims that she questioned the board about the town's history years before she purchased her art gallery in 2011.) 

Back To The History...

Over the years I have supplied Martha with a lot of primary source documents, and she has been more than capable of digging them up on her own as well. Our combined efforts have paved the way for others to become interested in learning the whole history of Locke, California- not the picked apart, exclusive history. I think that preserving an accurate account of our history is one of the most important things we can do for future generations. That is why my blog on Locke is so important to me.

Because of my busy schedule, I am not always posting on this particular blog.  I am regularly working on other projects at the moment with writing for the newspaper, providing historical content to various websites and finishing my latest historical non-fiction book, "Stories of the Forgotten." So, working on my personal blogs continues to end up at the back burner, but I'll try to post as much as I can, when I can.

I hope that whomever reads this blog can see my sincerity to stick to primary source material as much as possible, but I also enjoy mentioning oral histories and various sources
when the time calls for it. I think by using both together we can get a better view of the amazing history of this town.

Let me add this: There is no doubt that the Chinese played an integral part of the history here, but so did all the other residents who lived in Locke. Remember, the Locke you know today is much smaller than what once was long ago. The Locke family owned 490 acres of land and Locke sat at one spot of that land. The boundaries of the town, or "city limits" contained many businesses, structures and residences located in and around the area considered to be "Locke," and census records, voting registries and other primary sources prove this.  This blog is to honor the history of Lockeport (aka Locke).... All of it, which includes all of the people who lived and worked there from its beginnings to the present day, including but not limited to Chinese.

So far I have only focused on the early days, as it will take me a very long time to work my way up to the present. I will enjoy every moment sharing these stories with you all.  --

For now, please enjoy this summary of Lockeport's History (Locke) that was recently posted inside and outside of the Lockeport Grill and Fountain in Locke, California. I was happy to have provided the necessary primary and secondary source documents for this project that was written and posted by Martha Esch.

Here's to reviving history in Locke once again!!

Plaque in front of Lockeport Grill & Fountain

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(wording on plaque at Lockeport Grill & Fountain, Locke, CA)

Lockeport, California

For hundreds of years when the Sacramento Delta was a swamp, nearly the size of Rhode Island, Native Americans inhabited this area. Documented archaeological burial mounds believed to be the remains of the Junizumne Plains Miwok are located in the immediate vicinity. [1]

In 1852, George W. Locke at age 22 was lured by the Gold Rush to California from New Hampshire, becoming a successful Sacramento pioneer merchant and self-described “Capitalist.” He purchased numerous properties including three large Delta swampland parcels with his business partner, Samuel Lavenson. [2]

Much of his Locke Ranch 490 acre parcel became developed. The eastern third was left mostly wild (now Delta Meadows State Park), the northern third was planted with a large pear orchard. The balance included a railroad workers’ permanent encampment and rail switchyard (South Locke today); a Russian settlement of 30 cabins along Locke Slough also were part of the early development and were removed by the California State Parks around the turn of the millennium.[3]Remnants of those foundations still exist today under the ivy.

There were also two huge canneries with dormitories, a fruit packing shed-railyard-shipping wharf (now the Locke Boathouse). A 10 acre global village of 38 two-story shops; gambling houses, lodges, boarding houses, saloons, restaurants, markets, brothels, theaters and opium dens, located on River Road, Main Street and Levee Road. Along Key Street there were about 20 mostly one-story residences, a flour mill, a church, a slaughterhouse and a four acre community garden. [4]

The original settlement of “Lockeport” in the early 1900’s housed the railroad, cannery and shipping wharf workers. An early photo showing a dozen ramshackle houses on stilts built along Sacramento River[5] may have existed before the levee roads along the river were raised an additional 10’ around WWI.

The Locke Boarding House was said to have been constructed as early as 1910 [6], while the Levee Road buildings were built in 1912 and 1913[7]. In 1915, The Sacramento Union newspaper referenced the George W. Locke Packing House, stating that there were employees living in dormitories[8] of the Locke Ranch, three months before the Walnut Grove fire on October 7, 1915. Members of the Locke family also lived on the property including Clay B. Locke and his wife, Alice.

Most of the buildings and houses you see today on Main and Key Streets were built between 1916 and 1926.[9] The National Register for Historic Places reports that Caucasian carpenters built the structures in town. The architectural style of the different buildings found in Locke has been described as “riverfront woodcutter’s gothic commercial” and “false front commercial,” a rural vernacular found in most Gold Rush towns. [10]  A half dozen structures have individually burned down or collapsed under their own weight. 

The town’s name was shortened to “Locke” between 1916 and 1920.  From 1916 to 1963 Locke had its own Post Office. Clay B. Locke was the official Post Master in 1916. [11] George Carlton was the town’s Constable.[12]  The California Voting Registries, Newspapers and Census records mention Locke and Lockeport simultaneously over the years with a diverse population of residents; including Americans, Europeans, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese immigrants. [13]

By the 1920s there were even more residents which included Italians and East Indian families.[14] The 1930 U.S. Census lists approximately 550 Locke residents: 37% Chinese residents, while the other 63% were non-Chinese, with over 23 different countries of origin.[15] The 550 residents that were listed included workers living in the two separate settlements along the Locke Slough, the railyard (Locke south), dormitory cannery housing, and the George Locke Ranch.      

One of Locke’s two canneries, the Libby, McNeill & Libby facility was located (0.7) miles north of Main Street. Numerous publications as early as 1916, note their address being located in “Locke, California.”[16] Besides the canneries, the shipping wharf, railyard and George Locke & Son packing house employed and housed immigrants from all over the world.

Locke remained a gem among the Delta, with a wide array of ethnicities living together: Americans, Russians, Spaniards, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Mexican, Italian, French, Irish, Scottish, Armenian, Turkish and more.  All of Locke’s residents of diverse backgrounds provided patronage and a lively atmosphere to Locke’s restaurants, gambling houses, opium dens, brothels and saloons. 

There were many illicit businesses that were located in Locke according to legal affidavits and newspaper headlines of the time. The brothels were run by Caucasians[17], and the gambling halls and opium dens were run mainly by Chinese. [18] The Sacramento Bee stated that Locke was once considered the Monte Carlo of the Delta.[19] It was the only place where Caucasians could come and gamble freely without worry of the law. No other area in the Delta had that sort of freedom for gambling. [20]

Today’s population of Locke numbers about 160 including: 60 in town, 70 in Locke South, 10 in the Locke Boathouse Marina, 5 on the Locke Ranch, and 15 in camps along the Railroad Cut, Locke Slough and Snodgrass Slough.

Locke’s rustic leaning buildings, narrow Main Street, beautiful river setting and colorful history attract artists, painters, photographers, writers and musicians to visit and live here.

(Plaque written by Martha Esch, Copyright June 2016, document citation verification by J’aime Rubio~)

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[1] Federal Register/Volume 80, No. 25, (Locke mound #1 and 2 CA-SAC-47; CA-SAC-76); Bennyhoff, James A. 1977. Ethnogeography of the Plains Miwok. Center for Archaeological Research at Davis Publication Number 5. University of California at Davis.

[2] History of the State of California and Biographical Record of the Sacramento Valley, California – by Professor J.M. Guinn, A.M., Page 668

[3] Sacramento River Delta Historic Society newsletter Vol. 31 #1 pg 3,.June 2011 by Kathleen Graham Hutchinson; J. Mello witness

[4] Sacramento County Planning Dept. 1968 aerial photo, J. Polenske

[5] Glass negative of town of Locke along levee of Sacramento River, ca. 1880's?s, California photos from the Ted Wurm collection, BANC PIC 1994.005--PIC, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.”  

[6] NCCSAH, April 2009

[7] Sacramento County Assessor

[8] Sacramento Union, July 27, 1915.

[9] Sacramento County Assessor

[10] NRHP, Form 10-900, OMB No. 1024-0018, page 4

[11] U.S. Appointment of U.S. Postmasters, October 13, 1916, Clay B. Locke for Locke, Sacramento County.

[12] Sac Bee 1919; California Voting Registry (1920-1922).

[13] California Voting Registries, 1916-1918, 1920-1922, 1926; 1920 Federal Census.

[14] 1920 Federal Census

[15] 1930 Federal Census

[16]Western Canner & Packer, Volume 8, 1916.

[17] Sac Union Newspaper, September 12, 1919, April 5, 1919

[18] Sac Union Newspaper, March 8, 1920; November 5, 1922

[19] Sacramento Bee, October 1, 1919

[20] Sacramento Bee, 1919 & 1920 (various)

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(Copyright 2016; J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com)