Locke Historic District
Locke
A Delta town built by Chinese settlers in 1915, Locke is one of the best-preserved rural Chinese communities in the United States, with wooden buildings along its old main street that seem frozen in time.
Locke sits in the Sacramento River Delta. Chinese laborers from Zhongshan in Guangdong built it, leasing land at a time when discriminatory laws barred them from owning property. The town once had gambling halls, theaters, schools, and general stores. Today the wooden buildings along the main street lean slightly. Visitors can tour the Dai Loy Gambling Hall Museum, the Chinese school, and a memorial to learn about the contributions Chinese workers made to railroad construction and the reclamation of the Delta. Locke is a National Historic Landmark about 40 kilometers south of downtown Sacramento. You can drive there along Highway 160, enjoying Delta scenery along the way.
Opening hours
Open all day (museums mostly open on weekends)
Nearby sights
- Sacramento Zoo
- Fairytale Town
- California Automobile Museum
- Midtown Sacramento
- Sutter's Fort State Historic Park
- The California Museum
- Leland Stanford Mansion
- Crocker Art Museum