We spent the weekend before Christmas Day in Sacramento, minding the house of friends while our house was occupied by a family from the Home Exchange program. On the advice of several knowledgeable folks, we went first to the California Railroad Museum, which is worth its own blog description–really worth the visit, even if you’re not interested in trains! But of greatest interest to us was the recommendation to visit Locke, down into Delta country along the Sacramento River. So on Christmas Eve, we travelled down Route 160, which hugs the edge of the river. The fog, which is a regular feature of this area, was just beginning to lift, but I was able to get the picturesque shot above before it disappeared entirely. Now I want to do more exploring down the Delta.
As the signs and plaques in these photos indicate, the reason for visiting Locke is its unique status: It was built and inhabited entirely by Chinese workers, some of whom were the ones who worked on building the Trans-Continental Railroad–the famously enormous undertaking in pre-mechanized America that connected California to the rest of the country in 1869. (Over 1200 Chinese workers lost their lives while building the railway, a fact I learned at the Railroad Museum). The 14-acre town was first developed between 1893 and 1915, after other Chinese neighborhoods and villages had been burned down; a group of merchants who had been ousted from other locations obtained the land from local landowner George W. Locke, although as Chinese they were not allowed to buy the land. It is the only intact town that evokes what it was like for Chinese rural immigrants to California in the early 20th century. It is still inhabited, but now almost entirely by artists and non-Chinese agricultural workers. I have never seen a place that has been allowed to “age” and remain authentically what it was when first settled. Many of the buildings are now so dilapidated that I wouldn’t walk next to them, but the Museum guide tells us that the infrastructure has been upgraded to current standards. Most of the buildings now house shops, boutiques, or tiny restaurants, where once there were gambling halls, opium dens, and brothels along with legitimate businesses. We loved it!
In the middle of Main Street, which is the only business street of the tiny place, is a culinary (?) institution, originally called Al the Wops–now in more politically correct times, known simply as Al’s Place. Here’s a bit of history of the place, from Al’s website:
“Al the Wop’s was constructed in 1915 by Lee Bing and three partners who ran a Chinese restaurant here in Locke, California. In 1934 Al Adami and an associate came up the river from Ryde to become the first non-Chinese business in town. Later Al purchased the building from Lee Bing and continued in the business until his death in 1961. From the beginning, Al’s idea was for a place with no pretense, probably why he named it Al the Wops.”
“No pretense” is an understatement. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been in a dive bar like this, although I have known many in my life. (Does anyone out there remember Hipp’s Bubble Room in San Antonio, Texas?) The ceiling is covered with dollar bills, and there’s a tradition of cutting off men’s ties before they enter the bar. The bar section was complete with the ever-talkative barfly, sitting at what I’m sure was his favorite seat, reserved for him alone. In the back is the restaurant section, famous for enormous steaks–which now cost $32! We had more modest fare, which was decent pub food!
After our meal at Al’s, we walked over to the Museum, which had charming displays and descriptive wall plaques on the history of every building on the Main Street blocks. Because we bought a copy of this book about the Locke community, the nice lady who was the guide in the Museum gave us the bag, and invited us to the Locke Chinese New Year festivities. I think it would be fun to go!
Finally, we walked around to the only other street, with the few houses that are still there, and into the back fields with bee hives and cottage gardens. Oh, and cats! Lots of cats! They all looked quite healthy, neutered, well groomed and well fed.
A really interesting journey into the past, and a reminder of the trials that Chinese-Americans had to endure. Word is that the legislation forbidding the purchase of land in the town was on the books until the end of the 20th century, by which time most of Locke’s Chinese were long gone. It is so refreshing to see an historic town that hasn’t been tarted up, or made into a kitschy tourist attraction.
I will close with an image of the Confucius statue that is outside the old Chinese School, watching over Main Street. I wish I had some wise Confucian quotation, but perhaps some of my readers can provide one. Visit Locke, in any case!
esauboeck 