There is Something About the Delta

If we’re looking for an activity to add to a day’s larger activity, we always appreciate cousin Barbara driving us through the Sacramento River Delta near Rio Vista, CA.

I’m not sure if it’s because we knew nothing about the Delta until our first visit to the area or whether it’s the history of the Chinese people who dug the waterways or whether it’s

the mystery that is woven into the roads that meander through the maze of thousands of miles of winding waterways. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers meet to create a boater's and fisherman's paradise, with over 100 marinas; but even though the area is mapped, it's easy to get lost if you're out in a boat.

Rio Vista has been called the gateway to the Delta. Here a steel-span bridge crosses a wide stretch of the Sacramento River.

On the other side of the bridge, a left turn catches Highway 160 which follows the shore of the river past Isleton and on up to Walnut Grove.

We pass Brown & Meyer & Cook Insurance and The Big Store (on the right in the photo below).

The Chinese writings on the Big Store's sign are an indication of the past and present Chinese role in the history of Walnut Grove.

Mel's Mocha and Ice Cream shop present a colorful welcome along the main street through town.

This bascule bridge (drawbridge) in Walnut Grove, with its heavy counterweights on each end to help balance the spans as they are raised and lowered, fascinates me. But on our three or four trips through the Delta, I have not seen it in operation. It connects CA160 to River Road.

We continued on to Locke, which was founded in 1915 after a fire broke out in the Chinese section of nearby Walnut Grove. The Chinese who lived in that area decided that it was time to establish a town of their own and approached land owner George Locke and inquired if they could build on his land. An agreement was reached. The town was laid out by Chinese architects and industrious building ensued. The founding of Lockeport, later 'Locke', was a reality. By 1920 Locke stood essentially as you see it now.

Levee construction originally brought the Chinese to this area, but by the time Locke was built most of the work was in farm labor.

On August 2, 1970, Locke was added to the registry of national historical places, by the Sacramento County Historical Society, because of its unique status as the only town in the United States built exclusively by the Chinese for the Chinese.

Currently, there are only about 10 Chinese residents among the town's population of between 70 to 80 people. However, there are still signs of Chinese businesses--Yuen Chong (three photos above), Locke Chinese Medicine (two photos above), and the Dai Loy Museum (below).

This faint rainbow topped off our most recent visit to California's Delta.