The Locke Foundation

WHO REALLY INVENTED THE FORTUNE COOKIE? We have all received fortune cookies at the end of a meal with our bill at a Chinese restaurant. It’s fun to open them and chuckle over the predictions of wealth, success and romance. We might assume they were invented in China. NOT TRUE. A fortune cookie is a wafer cookie with a piece of paper inside with a fortune written on it. Fortune means a prediction of destiny or fate. These cookies are usually used in Chinese-American re...Continue reading

Locke Foundation members are totally impressed by the State Park's effort in locating the Chinese burial site on the trail between Coloma and Lotus. They use their archaeological know-how, canine forensic team to locate the positions so that the positions will be left untouched when the new meandering trail is built. Each flag in the picture indicates the remains of burial. A meandering trail will create challenges to the spirit to follow visitors home. LF members will do our best to give the best Chinese burial ritual narrative to the public.

Members of Locke Foundation received a guided tour to catch the first glimpse of the new Chinese Gold Rush story at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma. We appreciate the State Park's sincere effort in promoting diversity in their exhibits

Sacramento Delta: Necessity was the Mother of Invention The Sacramento River Delta area spawned a plethora of patents from the late 1800’s to mid-1900’s, and not all of them were related to farming. Here is a sample of patents from various Delta towns: ... Walnut Grove 1886: Fire escapes as fires were common in wooden buildings. Invention related to folding ladders which could easily be deployed yet could be folded up when not in use. 1922: Portable tire pumps 1920’s: Airplane, auxiliary lifting wing, directional stabilizer, control and mechanisms variable camber propellers. Chinese-American pilots were being trained in Walnut Grove and Courtland area to help nationalist forces in China. Unfortunately, these airplanes were burned in an act of sabotage. 1931: Asparagus packing gauge Ryde and Grand Island 1867: Improvement in Hoe Design 1868: Improvement in farm wagon 1873: Machinery to remove grain from exterior hull without breaking the kernel to produce pure flour. Courtland 1888: Pesticide Spray nozzle for pesticides in fruit orchards, vines and shrubs. 1900-25: Improved methods for packing and sizing pears Clarksburg 1930: Portable irrigation head-gate Elk Grove 1884: various patents for farm implements, including hinged-swing gate, windmill head, voting booth, shaving brush, bale-tie machine, voting booth, newspaper wrapping machine, Florin 1938: rotary saw invented by Chinese American Howard Chinn Hood 1938: Funnel strainer, frusto-conical body with semi-spherical strainer. Locke 1928: Temperature sensing marks for filling cans; markings would indicate whether or not food has been fully cooked. Isleton 1924: Asparagus slicing and dicing machine, remove outer skin of tough stems, cut into cubes for cooking. 1924: Traveling vehicle whereby merchandise could be stacked for easy dispensing, cooled by ice. 1929: Automate packing of asparagus vertically in cans. Rio Vista 1886: Gang plow and cultivator, liquid fuel burner, 1925: Aeroplane (not airplane) design with flapping wings to simulate bird in flight. Compiled by: Eileen Leung Contributor: Ron Chong Reprinted from Locke Foundation Newsletter http://www.locke-foundation.org/about/membership/

History of Punjabi Sikhs In Chinese Locke, CA Many visitors who come to Locke take the time to step away from busy Main Street to venture down the wooden walkways that lead to the back of town and find themselves in the quietude of residential Key Street. It's another world to explore - away from conversations, cars and motorcycles. Guests stroll, gazing at the many fruit trees, flowers and picturesque landscaping that surround quirky homes. Cats, strange garden ...Continue reading

If you live or work in the Delta region, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) wants to hear from you! DWR is evaluating a proposal to build a water tunnel in the Delta called the Delta Conveyance Project. They have launched an Environmental Justice Community Survey to hear your perspective on potential project-related impacts and benefits for the Delta’s diverse communities. Your input is vital Please take the survey today! #YourDeltaYourVoice Encuesta disponible en espa...ñol. . http://www.metroquestsurvey.com/kx60m

To Locke "Mom"..... Connie King

"Do You Know THIS About Locke, Ca?" *Locke is the last remaining Chinese community in North America. All others are referred to as "Chinatowns" and are connected to or lay adjacent to an existing town or city. Locke is a stand-alone community. * Although the current population of Locke is just 70, during the 1920s to 1940s Locke had a permanent population of 600, which swelled an additional 1000 during the harvest season. Add to that the folks who traveled to Locke in or...Continue reading

The Locke Foundation congratulates LF Scholarship recipient Irisa Zhang (center of photo) upon her graduation from University of California, Berkeley. Irisa graduated with a degree in physiology and metabolism and now works as a project manager at a mental healthcare startup in the bay area. She grew up here in Locke, volunteered for all Locke Foundation activities.... and is a pride and joy of our little community. We are so very proud of you. http://www.locke-foundation.org/about/membership/

For Your 95th Birthday? Here's a Banjo From Your Locke Friends It’s a well known fact of life that guys like to fritter with stuff. Pop a hood, help the neighbor kid fix his bike or just walk outside with hammer and you will likely draw a crowd of inquisitive guys. Suggestions and comments will abound. Theories will be opined and a transitory Fritter Brotherhood will be founded on the spot. And that’s exactly what happened in Locke when town resident Ernie Wester ...Continue reading

Vivid Memories of the Bok Bok Man His job was simple yet critical; sounding out the hours with his small wooden box and mallet, notifying sleepy residents of the night time hour and alerting them to fires and thefts. He was the night watchman performing da gahng, a centuries-old time service whose functions have gradually faded away like the once-familiar sound that rang through darkened village streets. He created the heartbeat of the night. He was the Bok Bok man. Dating...Continue reading

Check out the Fall 2020 issue of the Locke Foundation Newsletter. Featured articles include: History of the Bridges of the Sacramento River Delta; Locke Residents Who Served With Pride in WW2; Vivid Memories of the Bok Bok Man; and more. http://www.locke-foundation.org//2020-LF-newsletter-Fall-2

An important mission of the Locke Foundation is to provide scholarships to deserving local high school seniors. The LF is proud of these dedicated students and shall continue this meaningful mission. Now, more than ever, our students need the support and encouragement from community members, businesses and organizations to help them succeed. Locke Foundation: PO 1085 Walnut Grove, Ca 95690

The Locke Centennial Plaque - Presented by Native Sons & Daughters of the Golden West - 2016 Text of Locke Historic Marker: Locke... The largest, most complete example of a rural agricultural Chinese-American community in the United States Prior to 1915 Locke consisted of three buildings and was known as Lockeport. The name was later shortened to Locke. After a fire in 1915 consumed Chinatown District of nearby Walnut Grove, the displaced Chinese residents asked the Locke Ranch owners for permission to rebuild their own separate town in Lockeport. Here, on rented land, the Chinese community proceeded to establish a post office, a school, a theater, restaurants, saloons, food markets, dry goods stores, a church, gambling halls, brothels, and numerous other businesses. Locke flourished and at one time supported a permanent population of 600 residents plus a thousand seasonal laborers. A thriving Chinese town in its heyday, Locke residents exhibited a resilient spirit to survive. Locke persevered throughout the twentieth century. Together they withstood the constant threat of fire, floods, the pain of poverty, the bitterness of discrimination, the despair of neglect, and the emptiness of social abandonment. In 1971 Locke was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1990, Locke was named a National Historical Landmark. In 2005, the County of Sacramento sub-divided Locke and for the first time each building owner could purchase the land beneath their buildings; a right previously denied the Chinese by the Alien Land Law of 1913. In 2015 on the 100th anniversary of its founding, Locke stands as a testament to its first residents and continues to embody the extraordinary efforts by generations of Chinese in developing agriculture in California. Dedicated on April 24, 2016 By the Native Sons of the Golden West Grand President Dean C. Zellers jointly with Elk Grove Parlor #41 Native Sons of the Golden West and Liberty Parlor #213 Native Daughters of the Golden West. The base for this plaque was provided by the Locke Foundation Centennial Committee