Locke, Historic district in Sacramento County, United States
Locke is a 14-acre historic district in Sacramento County, California, on the Sacramento River. Its Main Street is lined with connected wooden buildings, including a white-boarded gabled structure with red trim, a covered walkway on square posts, and glass doors with red frames. Beyond it stand single-story weathered-wood shops and houses with corrugated metal roofs.
Chinese immigrants from Guangdong province founded the settlement in 1915 after a fire destroyed their community in nearby Walnut Grove. The town became a center for farm workers who cultivated fruit and vegetables in the surrounding fields.
Locke was settled mainly by Cantonese speakers from Zhongshan, and the town's name was shortened from Lockeport in 1920. A Chinese language school once operated here, and the community was known as "California's Monte Carlo" for its gambling halls and brothels. The restored Locke Boarding House museum, staffed by volunteers, displays everyday objects from the Chinese farm workers' households.
The district lies directly on State Route 160 and is accessible via a short exit. A museum on site offers guided tours explaining the life and architecture of the community.
The settlement is the largest surviving rural Chinese immigrant community from the early 20th century in the United States. Most of its buildings remain on their original lots, preserving the layout of the original town.
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