March 20, 2024

By Simon J. Lau

Last weekend, I made my way to the California Delta. The rivers and streams were vibrant and the land looked so lush. It also appeared as though the marine life was thriving. In fact, this was my first time ever seeing a California river otter in the wild. Unfortunately, this otter had met a tragic end, likely sometime earlier that night. However, I’m sure its friends and family were still thriving. 😅

My first stop was Isleton. This town celebrated its 100th birthday last year and was known for its canneries. Chinese immigrants arrived here in the 1870s, eventually peaking in population at ~1.5K Chinese. They accounted for the vast majority of cannery workers. As the canneries began to close, the population declined. Recently, the town opened a new Asian American Museum to celebrate its Asian history, but, of course, it’s only open on Saturdays from 12-3 (and the day I visited it was Sunday). 🌝

Another notable place is Mei Wah, a former Chinese brothel, gambling hall, and opium den turned beer hall. (I know, the natural arch of history. 👯‍♀️🍻) I’ve wanted to visit this place since learning about it from a Good Day Sacramento segment, but it was closed. I’ll have to come back again when they’re open and when I’m not motorcycling.

Here are other photos from around town. It seems Jean and I just missed Spam Fest, which is a travesty. Jean loves spam (at least she loves musubi). We may need to make up for this next year!

My next stop was Locke. This town was established in the 1800s and grew quickly after the Chinatown in neighboring Walnut Grove burned down in 1915. Many Chinese immigrants moved here, settling on a 14-acre plot above swampland. They established Chinese-owned businesses and Chinese language schools. Last time we visited, Jean wanted the blue Locke T-shirt, but this store was closed. I made sure to drop by again and buy one for her. As I did so, I spoke with the store owner, an elderly Chinese man. I was hoping he’d introduce himself as someone born in Locke. If not, maybe someone born down the street in Walnut Grove. But no, he lived in Elk Grove (Sacramento County). So my search continued for pieces of what I perceived as authentic Locke.

That’s when I stumbled into these two museums. One was a former gambling hall (green interior). This museum was very nicely redone. Besides the large gambling hall, they also had a counting room and cashier room. All were decorated to appear as if the place were ready to take in customers that night. Then there was another museum with a hodgepodge of items curated by the Locke Chinese Association (red interior). I couldn’t pin down exactly what the theme was, if any, so take that for what you will.

Other things worth mentioning are that since this town is built on top of swampland, the buildings are beginning to buckle under their own weight. This particular building looks like it could collapse at any moment. I’m surprised that the state hasn’t yet declared these buildings uninhabitable.

Finally, I noticed many notices for missing goats. One pet goat went missing, and its owners put up signs everywhere, while another pregnant goat was stolen. If you find either, please reach out to the respective owners. 😅