Who Approached George Locke First?

Who's Idea Was It? 

Who thought of moving to Locke first? The answers may surprise you. You see, there is an alternate story that has been circulated and even published over the years, stating that the Japanese were actually the first to think of moving to Locke as a group. Originally, a large amount of Japanese were also living in Walnut Grove's Chinatown. After the fire they were displaced, and no longer wanting to be associated with the Chinese, they approached George G. Locke about moving to his land first.

According to Eiichiro Azuma, the curator at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, his published work,"Interethnic Conflict under Racial Subordination: Japanese Immigrants and Their Neighbors in Walnut Grove, California, 1908-1941" the story is clearly presented.

Azuma cites sources documenting that after the fire in Walnut Grove, the Japanese immigrants wanted to disassociate themselves from the Chinese all together. Despite what many may assume, the two cultures were very much different and did not get along. After the fire the Japanese wished to rebuild, but this time they wanted a Japantown. Unfortunately the Japanese were divided. Some wanted to rebuild on the Dye brothers' land in Walnut Grove, while others eyed the property of George Locke. Cited sources used by Azuma state that "George Locke demanded $20,000 from the Japanese for the construction of a new living quarter. If they agreed on it, he promised to provide a maximum of $10,000."  The Japanese are the only ones to provide such evidence, and the dates coincide with the Walnut Grove fire, as it was only about a week after the fire that this is mentioned in various papers at the time. The Chinese have not provided any written documentation that the idea to move to Locke was their own. (Japanese Association of Walnut Grove, “Kawashimo Nihonjinkai Kiroku,” October 15, 1915 in JARP; and Nichibei Shimbun, October 18, 1915.) 

According to Azuma, once the Chinese heard that the Japanese were planning to move to George Locke's land, they quickly approached George Locke and "hastily signed lease contracts on the most convenient lots on Locke's land."*  There was a personal issue between both groups, one having complaints against the other. The Japanese thought of the Chinese as greedy and "menacing", who lived in filthy conditions and made their money by promoting undesirable practices (ex; gambling halls.)

Likewise, the Chinese thought the Japanese to be vulgar and would not let their children play with Japanese children at school. The opinion of the Japanese people was that the Chinese were "conspiring" against them at all times. From pushing the Japanese farm workers out (who were working the agricultural areas of the Delta since the early 1900's), to quickly flooding into the town of Locke, the animosity between the two groups didn't end there.

There were some Japanese that chose to stay in Locke, despite the high population of Chinese who moved there from Walnut Grove. For one, a Mr. Wakayama opened a barber shop in Locke after being displaced in the Walnut Grove fire.  For this choice he was "excommunicated" by his people, and a letter was sent to his home village in Japan, to shame his family for his "misdeeds." After several years, he was able to clear his name by writing a letter of apology to the Walnut Grove Japanese Association. Wakayama was not the only non-Chinese resident in Locke, though, there were many others.

(*there has been no written documentation presented proving the Chinese signed lease agreements with G. Locke, although the story has been orally passed down.)

(Copyright 2015- J'aime Rubio)
--originally posted on October 5, 2015 (Dreaming Casually)

The Structures In Locke -- Western All The Way

False Front Architecture,  American-Western Design

If you visit the Delta town known as Locke, you will notice one thing, it looks exactly like any other ghost town found in the west. The only difference now is that there has been signs put up over the years with Chinese writing or designs decorating the exteriors of the buildings.

The town of Locke was built on the Locke family's land, by Caucasian contracters and carpenters, although many Chinese did live and operate businesses there.

The National Registry for Historic Places file for Locke stated "the buildings were mostly erected by Caucasian contractors along conventional lines typical of the region." One of the carpenters who helped construct the buildings in Locke was Cleveland Hill, a native of North Carolina.

Did you know that the architecture used for the majority of the buildings in Locke consist of the false front design? Yes. In fact, this design was one of the most popular styles found in your typical ghost town.   "From the Canadian to the Mexican borders, hardly any commercial building-store, saloon or livery stable- was built differently after lumber came to hand. The false front appears to have been, more than anything else, a product of unabashed braggadocio, a desire to appear substantial and imposing. Since this medacious facade- which perhaps included a massive cornice overhanging frankly phony windows- hoodwinked nobody, it was a nearly useless conceit. Nevertheless, the facade did frequently serve as a sort of billboard where the proprietor could blazon forth his business title and advertise his wares."--- The Old West: Townsmen, 1975.

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

Life for the Kuramoto's

Locke Boarding House

The Locke Boarding House which sits at the corner of Locke Road and Main Street, in Locke, predates the other structures in town by at least a couple of years. According to the NCCSAH the structure was more than likely constructed in early 1910; However, the State Parks Department's website clearly points out that this structure was actually built in 1909, meaning it predates all the buildings in Locke. 

It's been thought that the earliest use was as a lodging structure for laborers, more than likely accommodating the Southern Pacific workers, and the workers at the G.W. Locke packing shed on the same property nearby. So far, not a lot of information in regards to who ran the boarding house prior 1921 has surfaced besides a few newspaper articles dating back to 1915, that mention "dormitories" on the Locke property that were used for their workers at the packing shed. The first family we are certain that ran it as a true boarding house, with rooms for rent,  was the Kuramoto family.

Almost all mentions of this building include that the house has not been associated with Chinese residents of Locke. The boarders typically were Caucasian or Japanese, with occasional Filipinos and Indians (Hindu).  According to Peter Cowan, whose father ran a trucking yard in South Locke in the 1950's, many of this building's transient residents were Oklahoma truckers who worked for his father. Peter Cowan said that he also lived in this same boarding house for awhile. Mr. Cowan owns a large portion of South Locke still today (2016), which was part of the Union Oil Company Railyard in the early 1900's, then a few decades later became his father's trucking yard.

The Beginning of Sam's Rooms

Sukiei Kuramoto, Nobu Kuramoto, their daughters Matsue, Kikue and son Eimi came to the United States and the family eventually ended up in  Locke around 1921, when they bought the boarding house, naming it Sam's Rooms. According to interviews with Sam Kuramoto, he claimed that his father loved the name Sam, and that later when he was born in 1928, that is why his father also called him Sam. They also had another daughter, Haruko who was 7 years older than Sam.

The Kuramoto's lived in the downstairs of the boarding house, on the backside of the structure, while the upstairs had the rooms for rent. While maintaining the boarding house, the Kuramoto's also worked in the agricultural field, traveling to Lodi and Stockton to pick grapes and strawberries, or packing asparagus and pears in the packing sheds nearby. At times the family would be gone all week, so the younger children were at home and learned quickly to run the boarding house if needed, while their parents were gone. In interviews Sam Kuramoto claimed that his mother didn't believe in locking the doors to their home, so many times they would come home to find that their furniture or belongings had been stolen. They blamed it on the Chinese residents.

(There was an animosity between the Japanese and Chinese in Locke, which stemmed from various reasons which I will go into further detail in an upcoming blog post.)

By 1936, the patriarch of the Kuramoto family, Sukiei died, leaving Nobu a widow, with children to raise by herself. She continued to run the boarding house by herself, and managed to work in the fields picking fruit and vegetables to make ends meet. Working as a single mother, during the Great Depression, Nobu still had time to maintain a beautiful garden just behind the house, on the east side. There she grew vegetables with beautiful flowers surrounding it. 

By the time that the bombing of Pearl Harbor took place, there were rumors that the Japanese might be sent away to camps. According to the interview with Sam Kuramoto for the States Parks, he states that his mother panicked about this, and took everything she owned anyway related to Japan and burned it. She had taught her children they were born in America, and to be proud to be American, so it was apparent that she wanted to prove her loyalty to the country they were living in.

Unfortunately, when the time came in April 1942, the Kuramoto's were forced out of their home and sent to a detainment facility in Turlock. They would spend about three months there, before being sent to the Gila River facility in Arizona.

Gila River Camp

Located 36 miles southeast of Phoenix, sits the ruins of what once was the Gila River War Relocation Center, which once held over 13,000 Japanese-Americans.  Consisting of two separate camps, Butte Camp and Canal Camp, the internment facilities were originally built to house only 10,000 at full capacity.  Despite strict objections from the Gila River Tribe, the site was still used and the camp was constructed over a short two months, and opened on July 20, 1942.

Internees, as they were called, were brought in from as far as the Northern California Delta region, as well as the Central Valley area near Fresno and as far South as Los Angeles. Approximately, two thousand internees from an internment camp in Arkansas were also brought in to add to the population at Gila River. Although it was considered one of the least oppressive camps of its kind, due to the fact they only had one watchtower and the barbed-wire fences didn’t last, it was in no way what you could call “comfortable” living.

Butte Camp had a little over 800 buildings, while Canal Camp had approximately 400. Among the facilities on site were administration buildings, a hospital, living quarters or barracks, mess halls, laundry houses, warehouses, police offices, latrine and shower houses, churches, school houses as well as other buildings to maintain the camp. Shower rooms consisted of a room with a dozen shower heads or so, in a community shower atmosphere. The latrine rooms were just rooms consisting of toilets without stalls or separating areas for individuals. Some living barracks were divided by blankets and sheets or tarps used as makeshift walls that separated one living area from the next.  The term “shikata ga nai”, translated as “it cannot be helped,” was used often to summarize the Japanese internee’s feelings of helplessness in their living conditions.

The Kuramoto's spent 3 years at Gila River until they were able to move to Minnesota to join Nobu's oldest daughter, who had been released and given a job. The family remained in Minnesota until 1949, when Sam joined the Army. They never did return to their home in Locke, although he later recalled driving by on one of their visits to the delta region many years later. 

It is hard to imagine being ripped from your own home and taken to a strange place, and having no certainty of what lay ahead. One can only speculate how difficult it must have been for Nobu to be strong for her family during such a trying time.  It is said that when the Kuramoto's were sent to the internment camps, their neighbor Jack Ross (who lived in the house just north of them) took over the boarding house for them. He also ran the gas station and auto mechanic shop in Locke. Now this building is owned by the Department of Parks & Recreation and is used as a museum. 

Whenever I visit Locke, the boarding house is usually the first place I visit. Now, every time I see it, I will be reminded of the lovely family that made this house a home, and the sad struggle this family faced during such trying times.

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

Sources: 

Sac Union, July 1915

1930 Census Records,

Family Search
Public Records,

NCCSAH newsletter, 2009
Transcribed Interview of Sam Kuramoto by Dr. Ettinger, Oral History Project (DPR)
Interview with Martha Esch (about Peter Cowan)

United State Japanese Americans Relocated During WWII, 1942-1946 database

Photos: Locke Boarding House, J. Rubio (Copyright 2015)

Gila River Camp - National Archives; photographer Hikaru Iwasaki (1945) 

Slander and Disappointment in Locke

This blog was originally set up to be a place where long forgotten, documented, factual evidence of Locke's history could be available to the public. It was never meant to be a sounding board or platform to vent but tonight things have changed, at least for this post.

Let me first start off to say that when I first started researching Locke back in 2012, I couldn't understand why after all these years that a place with such rich history, such as Locke, would have so very little written about it. Yes, you can find a book about it or an article online, but I have noticed it is always the same thing being regurgitated over and over...the same lazily copied and pasted history. There were no definitive historical stories, dates, or primary sources cited. And the few sources cited were secondary or third sources by books dated in the 1970s, but nothing from the time period that the events took place. Also, a lot of the history has been passed down orally, which is known to be less factual as the years go by.

It appears that most people just do not want to do real research anymore. They just rely on the other guy to do the research and they take their word for it, and share it, over and over and before you know it, there is a whole bunch of nothing out there. Which in this case has happened to Locke for nearly 40 years.

When I say a "whole bunch of nothing" that is exactly what it means. There are no details on the origins, the back stories, nothing. Why? Again, because no one bothers to do research anymore. There are a few of us out there though that still search the archives, the newspaper microfische, the old books and magazines, the census records and other directories searching for truth, and searching for answers. My blog is that truth. There is nothing on my blog that cannot be proven by the sources I list. That is why I list my sources in the articles themselves. So the reader has the choice to verify what I am showing them. You cannot rewrite a history that was already documented long ago, that is impossible.  I am bringing you the factual source material to give you the real history of Locke, one you can verify by documented evidence from the time period that the events took place.

Stop believing everything you are told on television shows, or even what certain people tell you in books, articles online or even in person. Unless they can show you the facts, the odds are that they are spinning a yarn and you are taking the bait. The ones who tell history without documented proof are the revisionists, even if they have been getting away with it for many years. And remember that an omission of history is still revisionism because if someone willfully leaves out facts or evidence about people, places or events in telling history they are changing or rewriting it to their own advantage and that is wrong. By excluding various people from Locke's original history, plainly ignoring or erasing those facts is an example of lying and revisionism. I am here to set that straight by way of factual evidence. Evidence you can look up on your own and read for yourself.

Tonight, this blog is to address the latest episode on Ghost Adventures. First off, I have never been a fan of the show. I am not really"into" shows about ghosts, as I have had my own experiences with paranormal and I do not find it amusing to watch sensationalized overly dramatic men jumping in the dark, scared by every little sound they hear.

BACK TO GHOST ADVENTURES

This particular episode, was centered on Locke, and it was a complete mess. Where do I begin? Okay, the story about Mei Ling, that is false. There is absolutely no evidence that this woman existed or that she performed, disappeared or died in Locke. There are no accounts of prostitutes being killed and dumped in the river.  By the way, the prostitutes in Locke were Caucasian. I have never found any documented evidence of Chinese prostitutes having lived in Locke until the later years (1950s-1960s).

Please read my other articles found on this blog, there are quite a few on the subject of prostitution in Locke. You might be surprised.

I found it interesting in the episode Zak acted like he was unaware of the Dai Loy Casino when speaking to Clarence Chu, but then later he seems to know all about it when he speaks about Fred Chisholm's murder.

Here's a news flash...George Shinn wasn't in the Dai Loy Casino when he shot Fred.  In fact, Fred was playing cards at one of the other gambling halls, there were 8 in total at that time period, and he ran out onto the road near the river, which meant he ran from one of the buildings facing the river. The Dai Loy Casino is located on an inner street. To top it off, Fred Chisholm was shot in the road, and he died in Walnut Grove.  Also, a mug shot photo of George Shinn was taken and used from this blog without asking permission. I also found it disgraceful that Jeff Belanger was given the factual information on Fred Chisholm's death for the episode, and yet the show disregarded the facts. I have the emails to prove that they were informed of the truth and still omitted it.

George R. Locke and his brothers (grandsons of George W. Locke, who was originally from New Hampshire) were heirs to their father's estate. George made his presence known in town, which is verifiable in numerous newspaper clippings of the time. G. Locke controlled many buildings there, including the houses of ill-repute to which he allowed his Caucasian madams, Grace Melbourne and Ruby Allen to run. Even Cleveland Hill, (Caucasian) from North Carolina ran a bar there, too.  This was as early as 1916 and well into the 1920s. Locke even had a "Watchman" named George Carlton, born of German/English immigrant parents. He was noted in the newspapers as the Constable.

Remember, when the Chinese moved to Locke they paid rent to the Lockes, their landlords, just like they had paid rent to the Dye Brothers or Alex Brown in Walnut Grove before the fire. There were buildings already present in Locke (known then as Lockeport) before the town itself was officially established. The residents of the area known as Locke, back then, was made up of  several people, all of whom came from various ethnic backgrounds.

The 1930 Census records state there were 136 households living within the boundaries of Locke. Out of those households there were 550 residents. Out of those residents there were 70 Chinese immigrants, 135 Chinese-Americans (a total of 37%) and the rest (a total of 63 %) consisted of backgrounds that varied from Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese, Americans, a few Scotts, English, German, Armenian, Turkish, etc. There were 10 Chinese businesses, and 6 non-Chinese businesses.


SLANDERING MARTHA ESCH

As the episode goes on, the crew starts to interview a man introduced as Dustin Marr in the Locke Garden restaurant. This person is quoted saying that Martha "is changing the history, how dare her. ..she does not believe there was Chinese here."

 This is a false statement.  Anyone who knows Martha, knows that what he said on national television is untrue. Martha is well aware that many Chinese lived there, that they had a presence there and they left their mark in Locke's history, but she also knows that others lived there too, which appears to be something that many people in Locke do not want the world to know.

Locke was built on the land owned by George W. Locke. Their family continued to own it until the 1970s when the last of their heirs passed away. No one bothers to speak about the Locke family in the episode either, by the way, which is shameful. If it was not for the Locke family, there would be no town of Locke today.

Unfortunately, just because you want something to be so, doesn't mean it is. Locke had many Chinese living there but the town was not built exclusively by, for and lived in exclusively by Chinese and it would be a lie to continue to perpetuate that.  The articles on this blog have the facts backed up by documented evidence. I am not here to please anyone, I am here to state the history, backed up by facts. Telling the facts doesn't take away from the accomplishments or the history of the Chinese community in Locke, but it is a misrepresentation of the truth to claim it was always solely Chinese.

Why is it such a big deal for people to accept that there were other people who made up the town of Locke from its beginnings and onto the years moving forward? Why does it matter so much to certain people to avoid the documented proof? Does it suddenly make Locke less important because other people from other lands came to live there besides the Chinese? No. It makes Locke's history even richer. I would think that those who are lovers of history would appreciate that the records have been researched and the facts that were always there are being documented for posterity. It just took some elbow grease to find it.

Back to the show..... 

In the midst of this apparent attack on Martha, there appears to be a second person (who was identified after speaking to locals, plus I recognized his shoes from the show, since they are the same shoes he is wearing on his Facebook profile photo). Anyhow, this person who is interviewed while cowering behind the camera is unwilling to be seen or even heard without a voice scrambler because of his apparent fear of Martha. Interesting since this is the very same person who has been making Martha's life a living hell.

He goes on to slander her even worse, calling her a "psychopath" and "certifiably crazy." Then he starts talking about some black smoke that swirls around the bar at Al the Wops and incites violent attacks at will and that he was an eye witness of this. That scene made me laugh. Are we really expected to believe that? Really?

What is interesting to note is that a newspaper dated in the Stanford Daily Newspaper on July 26, 1983, shows an interview with this same person where he literally talks about the incident at Al The Wops, except in the newspaper interview he completely leaves out the very paranormal aspect that he tries so hard to sell you on the Ghost Adventures episode. The subject matter of that part of the article was how the summer visitors in Locke were more rowdy than usual, especially those who frequented Al the Wops. In fact, this part of the article went like this:

(Name removed from article) 

Did you see any mention about black mist or smoke, or ghosts? Neither did I.

Getting back to the subject, it's funny that the person or person(s) who claim Martha is rewriting history don't seem to be providing any documents of their own to back up their stories. Yet, Martha willingly took the Ghost Adventures crew into her soda shop and spoke to them on camera for over 45 minutes showing them documented evidence of all of Locke's history, including census records, delta property deeds from 1893, Chinese artifacts and even documents from the Foon Hop Grocery Store from 1946-1957, and yet they left all that on the cutting room floor.

So in the end the show aired stories that were not backed up by factual evidence but then they took the one person on the show who had proof, and who offered it to them honestly and hospitably and they basically threw her under the bus.

Martha has never said that Chinese were not in Locke. We have had conversations for hours talking about all the fabulous history there, and most of which were stories she told me about Chinese families. Martha however doesn't pick and choose her history, she tells it all, including the parts that the chosen exclusionary history leaves out.

So who really is the bad guy here? And why was Ghost Adventures taking their side?

When I asked Martha what she thought of the Ghost Adventures episode and how dirty they played her, she said this:

"Anyone with half a brain, first of all probably would change the channel after watching Zak Bagans for about five minutes, because it is so obvious how much BS (blatant sensationalism) he builds into his stories. Past history of Locke was poorly portrayed, however the current history of bully gang mentality was clearly shown by two of the "self-elected" individuals seated on the Locke public agency boards of directors. Their defamation of my good character and reputation was taped by Bagans and the Travel Channel and shown on national TV for all to see - to try to make me look like a fool. Anyone who didn't fall asleep by the 15 minute mark, if they listen to my words, will see that I only wish for the history of Locke to be told with accuracy, to include the many nationalities of the people who've lived here, not just one." -- Martha Esch

Personally I hope Martha sues all the people who slandered her, including the people running the television show for their part of allowing her character to be assassinated on national television. Martha is an honest, caring and humble person who just wanted the whole history of Locke to be told, not just bits and pieces that have been picked over by certain individuals.

In the end, let's tell the truth. Locke is an amazing town, full of amazing history, which includes various backgrounds of people who have called this place "home."  In an upcoming blog post I will go into all of that even more. As it appears even more important than ever before to get those facts circulating.

I will end this blog with one of my favorite quotes by Cicero that says, "IT IS THE FIRST LAW OF HISTORY THAT THE WRITER SHOULD NEITHER DARE TO ADVANCE WHAT IS FALSE, NOR SUPPRESS WHAT IS TRUE." We should all be advocates for the truth, no matter what it may be, by making sure the whole history is shared, not just bits and pieces.

---
(Copyright 2016- J'aime Rubio, www.jaimerubiowriter.com)
Photos by Roland Boulware.


{DISCLAIMER: "If anyone decides to slander me in any way, be it on television, in a book, online, social media, news media, or any other manner, etc., be informed that I will sue you. I take my job seriously and I do not push false information to the public, that is why I cite my sources. Therefore it would be a very serious allegation to throw any slanderous accusations about me out there, if you choose to go that route. I will not be slandered the same way in which Martha was slandered. I have integrity about what I write about so with that being said, if you choose to slander me or my work in any way, you will be held accountable for it, and I will use every avenue available to the fullest extent of the law to go after you. So think before you speak or write anything about me."---- J'aime Rubio}

A Murder In Locke - Gambling Game Gone Wrong

7/27/1920 Sac Union Archive

On July 26, 1920, what seemed to be a regular game at the gambling tables ultimately led to murder, when Fred Chisholm was shot to death by Locke resident, George Shinn. Chisholm, who was a resident of Klamath Falls, Oregon, had come to California, originally visiting his friends A.W. Maher and James Brodie in Oakland.

With hopes to have a good time, the three traveled up to Locke (Lockeport) to play their hand at some card games. Expecting to win big, Chisholm literally had "a few cards up his sleeves."  According to Chin Wing Dong's statement to District Attorney Hugh B. Bradford, the three men had come to play 'blackjack'. After winning about $800, the dealer noticed that two "8 of Hearts"cards were laying on the table. Knowing he had just got caught cheating, Chisholm grabbed the bag of winnings and booked it out the door with his friends behind him.

Chin Wing Dong and George Shinn ran after the three men. The pair chased them about 200 yards. That is when the guns came out and shots were fired. According to statements, both men admitted to shooting at Maher, Brodie and Chisholm, but neither one wanted to admit which one actually shot Chisholm, with both blaming the other for his death. According to Dong, he started shooting at them but missed, when Shinn took the gun from him and pointed it straight at Chisholm, shooting him in the back.

George Shinn's Mug Shot

Chisholm was actually fatally hit with wounds to the neck and chest, falling in the middle of the highway (Old River Road). He was taken to Dr. Downing in Walnut Grove, but it was too late. He died shortly thereafter.  Deputy Coroner George Hall claimed that when Chisholm's body was searched "several steel contrivances, said to be used by professional gamblers in illegal pickups and hidings of cards, were found." Chisholms buddies, Maher and Brodie took off and were later located in a hotel in Stockton, but refused to speak about the matter.

Deputy Sheriffs Bryant, Wittenbrook and Cook made the arrest of George Shinn, Chin Wing Dong and Sam Jee, for their role in the crime. Although Dong and Shinn were involved in the shooting, Sam Jee, a stage driver, assisted in helping Chin Wing Dong escape Lockeport after the murder and was prosecuted for aiding and abetting.

The August 5, 1920, issue of the Sac Union newspaper stated that Judge Glenn refused to reduce the bail of "William Chin Wing Dong" from $10,000 to $7,500. Dong was indicted for  "assault to murder" of Fred Chisholm, while it states that George Shinn was actually the one charged with the homicide. Shinn was tried on October 25, 1920, in Sacramento.  As the article in the newspaper states, Shinn ignored the advice of his attorney, S. Luke Howe, to stick to their original plea, withdrawing it and instead "declared that he had killed Fred Chisholm."

Another newsclipping

Howe claimed that he "believed he had a fair chance of freeing the man or at least saving him from the extreme penalty of the law."- Shinn's criminal defense attorney, S. Luke Howe, had once been City Attorney in Sacramento, between 1902-1909, and was reported to be the only former city legal officer to have ever served jail time. He was also said to have been Lee Bing's personal attorney.

Because of ignoring his counsel's advice and admitting guilt, George Shinn was convicted of the 1st degree murder of Fred Chisholm, receiving a sentence of  life imprisonment.  His arrival records show he was received at San Quentin on October 29, 1920, and later transferred to Folsom State Prison on October 7, 1922.

As one of the Assistant District Attorney's noted, the State felt that under the circumstances, a life sentence was fair, rather than the alternative. He stated that if Chisholm had not been cheating he would not have died. Although I agree that Chisholm shouldn't have been cheating, I do not think it was okay for the two men to shoot him in cold blood.  The wild west days were over, and although it is true that there are always consequences for your actions, that didn't give them the right to end his life over a card game.

(Copyright: J'aime Rubio)

The papers noted that Fred Chisholm had a wife and children in Klamath Falls, and that the authorities were unable to immediately contact them about his death. Instead of being brought home to Oregon, he was buried at the Odd Fellows Cemetery on Riverside Drive, next door to the Masonic and Sacramento City Cemeteries.  After speaking to staff at the cemetery and looking over his burial record, I found that there is a mystery as to just who paid for Chisholm's burial and marker. According to their records, whoever paid for the plot put it completely in Chisholm's name posthumously. Oddly enough, whoever it was, also gave the cemetery Chisholm's primary residence as Washington. Newspapers claim he was from Klamath Falls, Oregon. 

There is no way to know exactly who covered the costs of his burial and headstone, but one thing we do know for certain is that Chisholm's grave is within viewing distance of the Locke family plot in the adjoining cemetery just feet away. I don't know about you but it makes me wonder if the Locke family took care of the burial cost? We may never truly know. 

Fred Chisholm is buried in Section G; Lot 18; Grave 6 at the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Sacramento.

Note: This article predates the episode of Ghost Adventures which mentions this murder. Jeff Bellanger, the main researcher for Ghost Adventures, wrote me asking for details on this story, and I provided him with a detailed history of Locke as well as information pertaining to this story. In the end the producers chose to ignore some of the important factual information in regards to Locke's true history, but they had no problem using the photo of George Shinn I had posted here on my blog without asking permission. ----

(Copyright 2015- J'aime Rubio)            
          
Sources:
Photo of George Shinn and criminal record c/o California Prison Records via Ancestry.com
Photo of Fred Chisholm's grave by J'aime Rubio (Copyright)
(Sacramento Union Archives: 7/27/1920, 7/28/1920, 8/5/1920, 8/31/1920 &10/26/1920
and The Morning Oregonian Archive: 7/27/1920)

The Forgotten Ones Who Built Locke

A somewhat forgotten part of Locke's history are the stories of those who actually built the town itself. Whether you choose to believe that the Chinese built it or not, the facts do not lie. The write up from the National Registry of Historic Places even states " the buildings were mostly erected by Caucasian contractors along conventional lines typical of the region."

Cleveland Hill

So who was it that built the buildings? One of the men that we know of for sure was named Cleveland Hill.  Born on January 7, 1885, in North Carolina, to parents John Hill and Anise Ives. He was one of nine children (four sons; five daughters). By the time Cleveland was 11 years old, he had lost two sisters, a brother and then finally his own mother, who passed away at the young age of 33.

Sometime after the turn of the century Cleveland moved out to California. By that time his trade was in construction, being a "Carpenter and Builder."  He would continue that trade well into his golden years. In a published interview of Theodore Peter Budnik, son of Russian immigrants Peter and Xenia Budnik, who lived in the area consistent with the original boundaries of Locke (as confirmed in 1920 Census), Budnik remembered Cleveland Hill working in the bar at "The White House"- this was a boarding house/saloon that was set up for prostitution.  In the book, "Bitter Melon" by Jeff Gillenkirk and James Motlow, Ping Lee claimed that Cleveland Hill was a friend of his father, Lee Bing, and that he had a bar next to his father's store in Locke. He also mentions that Hill came to build the gambling house and Lee Bing's store.

Records show that Cleveland lived in Locke for a few years, and eventually he settled down with a lady named Eva. At some point it looks as though either the couple divorced or his wife died. Later voting registry lists have Cleveland living in Walnut Grove and listed as a Republican. Census records show him being remarried, this time to a lady named Ida.  After a few years the happy couple bought a house located at 1856 44th Street in Sacramento, where they remained the rest of their lives. Cleveland Hill passed away on February 9, 1967, at the age of 82 years.

George Carlton

George Carlton was born in 1862, to German and English immigrant parents who had settled in California. Not much is known about Carlton's younger days or his profession before coming to town. By 1916, he is listed on the registered voting directory as a "Proprietor," residing in Locke, California. Although there is nothing that states he helped physically build Locke, the records show he certainly made a mark in its history there, which is worth mentioning.

By the 1920 census, he is listed as being 57 years old and his profession is listed as the "Watchman" for the "Town of Locke." What is interesting is that ancestry.com misread the cursive and noted it as "Watchman" in a "Laundry House" but as soon as I looked at the actual document and zoomed in, it was clear to see the words TOWN OF LOCKE- not laundry house!  How in the world someone mis-read that, I will never know!

This notation makes sense though, as a newspaper article in the Sacramento Bee dated 1920, claims that George Carlton was Locke's very own Constable. It appeared that at one point the town of Locke was used to getting away with a lot compared to the other little delta towns, when it came to the illegal activities going on such as gambling, drugs, etc. According to the newspaper, Locke was basically immune to any legal action from outside authorities, and that everyone knew it, and that is why it became the "Mecca" for gambling in Northern California. The explanation seemed to be evident in this snippet of the article:

"Exactly why Americans can gamble in Locke and cannot in Walnut Grove; why such gambling games as run at Locke, openly and in plain view from the streets do so without the slightest fear of interference from the Sheriff’s office; exactly why this freedom from arrest exists at Locke and apparently nowhere else in the county- at least to the same degree- is one of those mysteries over which Chinese game keepers smile inscrutably. The Sheriff of Sacramento County is Ellis Jones. The Constable of Georgiana Township in which Locke and Walnut Grove lie, is George Carlton, who lives at Locke.”---

By the 1930 census, George was now listed as the Assistant Postmaster, as Clay Locke was always the official Postmaster of Locke since October 13, 1916, when he was appointed by the U.S. Postal Service.  It appears that Carlton may have moved to Los Angeles later on, as death records state that a George Carlton, with the same birth year, passed away on December 12, 1930 in Los Angeles County.

(Copyright 2015- J'aime Rubio)

Drugs, Crime and Wild Gambling Raids...Just another day in Locke!

During the 1920s, especially the first few years of that decade, Locke seems to have been one of the wildest and obstreperous places in the state. The "roaring twenties" certainly lived up to its name in that delta hideaway, with constant newspaper headlines and accounts of suspenseful raids and arrests, police chases, cheating gamblers and shoot outs. Locke was known as the place to go to gamble your cares away, find a woman to lie with for the right price, or use as a haven for junkies needing a morphine fix. Opium dens, whore houses, saloons and gambling were rampant in this little town full of vice.

In the earlier years it appears that Locke was able to keep gambling dens full of patrons without issue from the law, but it seems that it may have eventually caught up with them as time went on.

According to one Sacramento Bee article, "Raids Are Bluffs," a resident of Locke claimed that the "Sheriff runs a bluff occassionally by making a raid, but Locke is never seriously bothered by Officials." It goes on to state that "Locke remains, as it has been, the gambling concession of Sacramento County, which runs without interference from either the Sheriff's office or from the Constable of that township*. or apparently without any danger of such interference."---

Still, when those raids did take place, they sure made headlines.

"Lockeport Raid Nets Seven Drug Victims"- 
Completely surrounding a house in Lockeport in which it was believed the use of drugs was being indulged in early Sunday morning, netted Deputy Sheriffs W.R. Cook, H.D. Bryant, John Pendergast, George Wittenbrock and George Altucker, aided by Bob Cole, seven prisoners, five of whom were Chinese.

One white girl, Miss Frances Reese, aged 22, and Charles Mehner, white, also aged 23, were among those caught in the net thrown around the building. All were brought to the county jail in this city to be charged with using drugs. A part of the evidence obtained was the finding of a package of more than 1000 morphine tablets on one of the Chinese. He will be charged with running an opium den and violating the state poison act."--- Sac Union, 6/24/1919



It didn't stop there. Raids on opium dens and gambling houses were just getting started and would continue, as the public officials and law enforcement decided to crack down on Locke.

On March 8, 1920,  Sheriff's deputies Brant and Cook raided an opium den in Locke (Lockeport). As the article in the Sacramento Union states, the raid was one of many in a "long campaign against drug users." Along with seizing pipes and "hop", two of the patrons using the drugs were arrested and brought to jail.

November 5, 1922, newspapers report of a "Sensational Raid upon Chinese den- Sheriff's deputies gain entrance to Lakeport [sic] house and arrest three.

Battering down the wooden doors of an alleged Chinese gambling den at Lockeport, while two deputies with drawn revolvers held a crowd of 30 gamblers at bay, deputy sheriffs from the office of Sheriff Jones raided the establishment of Tin Fan, in the river town last night.

Three Chinese were arrested and $1,500 taken from five tables. Those arrested were Tin Fan, housekeeper; Ching Sing, gamekeeper, and Gee Johnnie, gamekeeper. They were released on $900 cash bail.  The arresting officers were H.D. Bryant, chief criminal deputy sheriff; H.C. Cann, criminal deputy sheriff, and Deputies Oagle and Slater.

Elaborate plans were made and the raid went through without a hitch. Two of the deputies, dressed in old garments and with several days; growth of beard on their faces, gained entrance to the establishment in the guise of customers.

Tin Fan, the proprietor of the house, suspicious and wary of the strangers, delegated several Chinese to watch them. After remaining in the place for 20 minutes, the deputies drew their revolvers and gave a pre-arranged signal. The officers on the outside broke down the door and lined the patrons of the place up against the wall."-- Sac Union, 11/5/1922


(Copyright 2015- J'aime Rubio,  www.jaimerubiowriter.com )
* George Carlton is mentioned in Sacramento Bee articles as the Constable of Locke, the California Voting Registry for 1920-1922 also state him as the "Constable" in Locke. 1920 Census records state him to be the "Watchman for the Town of Locke."---

Sources: Sacramento Bee Archives, 1919-1920
Sacramento Union, 6/24/1919, 11/5/1922