California's Most Historic & Controversial Delta Town: LOCKE!

Part 1 of 3
Locke, CA sits on the Sacramento River in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region. A historic, somewhat preserved post-wild west enclave with a shady past. A rumored territory of the Tong Mafia in the Dai Loy Gambling Hall, Locke is one of the best examples of a rural Chinatown in California, but there is more to it than that. From a railroad camp to a living museum, the history of Locke is riddled with controversy and mystery.
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The Somethin' Or Other Tour [SOOT.tv] is an adventure and tour web series about two brothers that explore and do random things. A little adventure, a little silly, a little this and a little that. From abandoned places to stadium tours to odd museums, we love to explore it all! Subscribe to us for NFL games to urban exploring abandoned places!
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[@vvarietyshow]

Hope you guys enjoy this series as much as we enjoyed creating it! Locke was AMAZING!

[@retroshots]

Hey this was great! Im based next to the river and I just shot a music video for a Northern California band in Locke, just about the same time you were there. The residents were really friendly and I've always loved that town. Great video series! Music video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6S5ZYJ9lLqbaacsi=nC-zUbpEFPVrFyf1

[@JavierVelasquez-ci6tc]

Thank you so much for the history lesson! I'm from Stockton and probably have driven by Locke at one time or another - now I am going to make it a point to go visit with a new perspective.

[@akgobears]

People from Sacramento , Antioch, Oakley, Brentwood , and all the little delta communities like Isleton and Rio Vista, Hood, Courtland , Walnut Grove, have all been going to Locke for yrs to eat at AL THE WOPS....I mean since i was a child ive known about this place and am now 68 yrs old...For all of you that would like to experience the area, This June fathers day weekend (2024) the town of Isleton is bringing back its once YUGELY popular Isleton Crawdad festival...Its been gone for about 10 yrs or so but they are bringing it back once again....Its probably the biggest celebration you will see out on the Delta anywhere...If your into festivals, check this one out, you wont be sorry....Lots of people though, great food, entertainment, and a street full of vendors....

[@waitaminute-vw9hf]

Al the Wops steak sandwich and a beer, please. I love all those little river towns. The Delta has been my playground for a good part of my life, I'm 73 now. Grew up in Antioch and went to college at Sac State. I would never live here without a boat. The Delta has 1,100 miles of waterways to fish and explore.

[@akgobears]

@@waitaminute-vw9hf Grew up in Antioch also but im just a pup at 68 lol....Will be out at Isleton on Fathers day, they bringing back the old Crawdad Festival....I miss the old blues shows and soul food on sundays out in Freeport....

[@JavierVelasquez-ci6tc]

I'm from Stockton and have been taking my kids to the Isleton Crawdad festival for years until it was shut down. This year, my daughter took me there on Father's Day and it was such a blast!!! Can't wait for next year! :)

[@spy-v-spy1848]

Grew up on Homes st in Oakley live in The Yoc have never been.

[@akgobears]

@@spy-v-spy1848 Yoc is my hometown, grew up there, but i live in Oakley now...

[@tysonwalberg8938]

I was born and raised in California and never knew this town existed. That is because California is so big a person could live here their entire life (77 years) and never know or have been to even a 1/3 of the towns here! Thank you for sharing the history of this town. I subscribed without a doubt.

[@patricktoebe7901]

I love visiting Locke. You have done an excellent job with this video. It is a magical place

[@pokerfacealex]

My family owns the Boathouse Marina and the Star Theatre. If you want a tour let me know!

[@vvarietyshow]

I would love that!

[@Fishyprints]

I think we stayed on your boathouse.

[@pokerfacealex]

@@Fishyprints the one with the beautiful wood cabinets?

[@Fishyprints]

@@pokerfacealex I believe so. Think the guy said the old owner built them now that you mentioned them.

[@yinucsd]

that's so cool. i will take you up on that :)

[@surfingotter]

Love these lost little towns in this great nation of ours. Thanks for showing us another place I can’t wait to visit!

[@jaimerubiowriter]

Thank you for sharing the TRUTH!!! I have been working so hard for so many years to share this truth with the world. It was George W. Locke's son, George Granville Locke who would have been the one to allow the town to be built up, as G.W. had passed away before the fire in Walnut Grove. Still, you have a lot of good information. It was the grandson, George R. Locke who was involved in the brothels, the Chinese were the ones with the opium dens. There were Americans, Europeans, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and many others over the years, especially in its infancy. The fact that the truth has been hidden for so long is such a shame. But you are helping us share that truth. I appreciate it. Thank you for sharing a link to my blog as well. -- J'aime Rubio, Historian & Author

[@damilla1958]

We were recently filming a movie in Locke. We were shooting in an old saloon across the street from Al’s. Great atmosphere, really nice people!

[@cheems5643]

Different experience if your not white

[@windstreamer9810]

@@damilla1958 That would be my Grandparents place. Back int he day it was called Hoi Key pool hall. On one side they sold Chinese goods and the other was the soda fountain and ice cream (saloon). In the very back was the kitchen.

[@exploringwithcaelan]

Really nice video I appreciate the history of stuff like this actually plan on visiting here soon looking forward to the series

[@vvarietyshow]

It's definitely worth going

[@debbielryan]

I Love the way you edit these Dylan, keep'em comin'!!

[@vvarietyshow]

thank you Debbie!

[@windstreamer9810]

I spent summer months with my grandparents in locke. My mom was born there

[@obijuankenobi420]

Damn that must've been boring

[@thisisnotmyrealname9049]

You should do a video series about the delta and the other small little towns there!

[@mariehernandez7656]

Thanks for this I really enjoyed it! I didn’t know about this little town.

[@vvarietyshow]

So much cool history hidden out there!

[@mariehernandez7656]

@@vvarietyshow I can’t wait to see your night time footage!

[@IncredibleFulk1]

Great video Dylan!!! There is always something fascinating about small backwater towns that seem almost forgotten by people. So much forgotten history. Just a unique look. Amazing Part One video. Will watch part two very soon!

[@vvarietyshow]

It's such a crazy place

[@JermsDNA]

Great Video! I just recently found out about these Delta Towns When I moved up to nearby Brentwood. Thanks for an amazing tour.

[@MrRJDB1969]

Locke, named after George Locke, was originally named, Lockeport. The Locke's are related to the Locke family which Lockeford, CA was named after. If a search is made for the family name , "Locke", in many of the cemeteries in the area, you'll find several other Locke's buried in them. The name Locke, pronounced, "Lock", as in, lock and key, is a very old European family sur name. George Locke owned the land the town was built on and people of many different nationalities, would at one time or another, live there.

[@angieeng]

Well shot video! BTW the consensus report you saw is not for Locke it is for a wider area. I too thought it was a mix of immigrants from that consensus paper which is not for Locke. There are photos and living people who grew up there who can attest that it was 100% Chinese in the 40's and 50's except for the Japanese family who owned the Boarding house, a Philipino family and Al who was granted special privilege because being Italian Mafia, his family member saved a ship of drowning Chinese in the Bay. On the run, Al hid out in this all Chinese town, who allowed him to live there for what his family did. An Indian family ran the mill out back. You may want to speak with the last living Chinese descendants whose great grandparents helped raise money through Locke's businesses to give to the Nationalist party to fight the Chinese Communist Party. Hence Locke served much more than pear picking; The American local government turned a blind eye to illicit activities that served them in many ways. Dustin Mar still lives near town and grew up there so he is first hand knowledge rather than copies of old documents that make be fake. There are people who are descendants from 100 years ago and they are the ones who will recount history closer to residents who find papers from unknown and unverified sources. New residents (last 30 years) like to rewrite history from articles and documents that are not academically and historically verified. Lockeport was the name for the boathouse and a few other buildings prior to the build out for the Chinese town in 1915 known as Locke. (It's like we don't call Sacramento, New Helvetia the name that John Sutter called East Sacramento.)But those who want to claim the land and names prior to Locke (Which was actually called Lockee by residents) would need to go back to the Native Americans, the Junizumne (See Justin Cairns thesis on Locke PREHISTORIC FORAGING PATTERNS AT CA-SAC-47 SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA )So all the residents pre 1950's in Locke proper were AAPI. Also the Chinese paid for the construction of Locke, but did not design or build it. Then the Chinese started all the businesses after the town was built, except later on Al the Wop's. There were Blacks and Russians who lived outside of Locke on Locke Ranch and near the slough. (Now owned by the Parks and Recreation as public land.) The shacks and foundations are still there if you walk outside of Locke in the back. It is very rich in history both light and dark! The Boarding house is filled with documentation, photos that reveal the demographics and names of Locke. Also original descendants from 100 years ago are docents who can tell you amazing stories!

[@MrRJDB1969]

- I disagree with most of what you're claiming. There is a limited amount of space in this comment section and it's not my video, but... do more research.

[@yinucsd]

WOW - talk about depth of knowledge. thanks for the other tidbits like New Helvetia - i see this business name in town and always wondered the history. i have family that worked/lived in Locke, sacramento, and tahoe (uncle was at the Harvey's bombing in 1980) so been catching up on the local history. thank you for this.

[@jaimerubiowriter]

The census records, which are primary sources, going all the way back to Locke's infancy shows that there has been different people from all kinds of ethnic backgrounds living there since it's very beginnings. The voting registries, also primary source records. I have been researching and writing about the true history of Locke for almost a decade and every single thing I have is backed up by actual documented facts. By the way, Al Adami was not part of the Mafia. Please get your stories straight. That is really off base. Please by all means show me your documentation?

[@haroldtakahashi8875]

💛...love the creeky doors...love the creeky floors...

[@vvarietyshow]

Me too!!!

[@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244]

The levees were begun in Sacramento in the 1850s by the man who was later California's first governor. However, it was the Portuguese workers who built the first functional levees for farming in the Delta. Chinese labor was cheap, and to some was no doubt used, but focusing on them exclusively is historically dishonest. But there is a lot of that going around these days, especially in California.

[@migzz7976]

Great narrating. Happy To have found your channel.

[@Chef-Really5365]

I wish my dad was still around he would take us alllll over CA to places like this . I’d show it to him. IAM gunna visit this gem in honor of my dad’s passing for showing us many historical places and keeping CA history peeked since I was a kid . Thanks .

[@wesjoke]

Awesome video. Looking forward to the next one in the series!

[@vvarietyshow]

Out tomorrow! Thank you

[@jmjmanyc3103]

Thank you Guys! I'm a Chinese ❤

[@jonmacdonald5345]

Anytime thank you guys for your Service and your food kicksass too...

[@pensepf49]

. Amazing. You should have tried to have got some information on when the last grizzly bear was spotted out there... No joke grizzlies used to live in the delta

[@jamescoe4765]

If you went to Locke in the 60's you would see many very expensive cars parked there because rich politicians from Sacramento went to Al the Wops for there famous steak dinners. Inside you would see the place packed with suits and fancy dresses and the ceiling full of dollar bills stuck up there. Those glory days for Al's are done.

[@chrissteele7211]

It's still fun

[@pinonXO]

Money is still up on those ceilings. It’s wild

[@timadamson3925]

well done great info one best i seen done you do homework and cover the stories verry good keep up good work. ps like to have seen interview's of people if can find them

[@jack-oc2bm]

Really great video ! Locke holds many happy memories for me. I helped a friend renovate his building on Main Street, the front is shown at 2:14. There’s miles of walking trails that run along the sloughs. So much history and I found a few opium bottles, a pair of overalls over 100 years old, and lots of garbage from over the years.

[@MaLi-re6re]

ThankU for Sharing. Drive by here often and Absolutely Love The Delta Towns. So Much History to Appreciate. Hoping to move there & retire in a decade or so.🤙🏽

[@atiaimesui2199]

Fun fact, The karate kid Mr miyagi was born there. Pat Morita

[@Imhexed]

During the gold rush every bit of Cali got a dark history, brothels, booze and bullets everywhere

[@hendetta]

Great vid. Keep em coming my guy!

[@Gunny672]

Fun Fact: 98% of California's landmass is unpopulated.

[@Chef-Really5365]

OMG 🤫 shhhhhhhhhhh the land development management companies incorporated might find out

[@kylesuperbaby9616]

Food has to grow someplace silly

[@davidfaria6194]

Good job buddy I love your video

[@marivega3294]

I would commute from Oakley to Sac State via hwy 160 a few years ago. I always admired all the little towns I'd drive through but never actually stopped. Thanks for the tour of locke!

[@XPRoller]

incredible history! Good work!

[@seansclassoictrucks]

if you watch that old movie called Macon County Line, I think they filmed the beginning scene here in Locke, the rest was north around Courtland, Did you learn about filming locations around this town?

[@vvarietyshow]

A little bit but the vid was getting a bit too long. There's a shot of Eddie Murphy walking down the street in "Life" and the Clint Eastwood directed "Bird" filmed a bunch of stuff here. Maybe someday I can do a filming locations video.

[@madidiamondhands]

I pass through here regularly yet I didnt know of this place. Thank you, now I have to stop by.

[@randolfpearson1490]

A large portion of the Delta levees were built by Chinese laborers who built the transatlantic railroad and were out of work ended up here. After the Great San Francisco Earthquake the Chinese were not allowed back into Chinatown SF and ended up laying the foundation for Central Valley farming. IIRC.

[@danscott2059]

Learned a lot.....Another great video.

[@paulbyrne5022]

Great video. Clamper Approved.💪🏻. New subscriber here. 🤘🏻

[@realsircambridge]

pretty cool video! very well made. good storytelling too

[@piledaddytv]

Thanks 4 the vid 👍

[@kagyu1]

Never heard of this place . When I think of the Delta , I think of meth, Mexican gangs and trailer park culture. A place to avoid. This looks worth the drive ! Thanks for this great video.

[@yeethers]

I’ve lived in the Bay Area all my life and just recently on a trip to Sacramento it suggested I take the delta roads to get there. Was a little scared of the narrow roads and all the small towns I had never heard or seen before. Cool video.

[@110welding]

This was interesting to watch, being from Stockton, now I want to visit Locke. I've heard story's of this place and Woodbridge, but never seen.

[@revazquez]

Awesome video on our Bay Area local history! Thanks!!

[@JSH911]

Love Locke! Always go the Delta route home…..,❤

[@digimon916]

i fell in love with the delta driving out there years ago with some friends. people from my ethnic community have always said its haunted (you do see crosses on the roads here and there), but who knows. i love driving all through the delta to rio vista, which is also an interesting little place. youll see nice cars and car groups cruising sometimes too. spring time it can be very scenic with all the green farmlands and those yellow flowers (i never know what theyre callef 😂).

[@mrdrivebytrucker]

I really enjoyed this. I live close to Locke and never knew about it’s history. How did you get in all these buildings?? Update: You just answered my question in the last minute of your video. Thanks again

[@ct6852]

Never heard the phrase Delta Town before. I think I recently saw this in a TV show. Forget what it was called, but it was about 1920's LA and the Zoot Suit Riots and all the segregated neighborhoods in and around the city sectioned off by the new roads.

[@canyondiva493]

I’ve been to Locke a number of times; had meals at Al the Wops, also at a little Chinese place where if too many people came through the door, the lady wouldn’t cook for them, screaming “too many”! I had a friend whose Dad installed phones; he went into some of the old run down buildings and was ushered into the back where the gambling dens and brothels were and said everything was opulent with velvets, brocades, crystal chandeliers, etc. You’d never expect what was inside by passing by outside. I love all the old architecture. It’s an interesting place to visit.

[@stevensperry5587]

I have spent three or four New Year’s Eves at Al the Wops! Besides the good food, the festivities on an evening like that were lots of fun!

[@sandozdelysid]

Dude i, i didnt know, i love these things, these places, this never talked about stuff about my bay area. [Its part of the bay now- talk to public broadcasting and caltrans about that.] The delta is so fascinating and rich with history its always surprising.

[@billmoran3219]

How come I see no people? Well maybe in the bar but nobody on the streets. Surely there’s somebody!

[@Wastedtalent3]

Got to see the movie “Life” film there back in the day.

[@theghostoftravel]

the food at the chinese restaurant, is HELLA GOOD! go back and get something to eat

[@vvarietyshow]

We did get it while there! It was good. we stayed 3 days and filmed two other vids

[@yinucsd]

Really high quality well done documentary here, sir. Chapeau! I really appreciated the knowledge you share about the Chinese influence of the town. As a Chinese-American born in the bay area in the 70s, growing up here, we heard a lot about the relevance and significance of this town, but you really went further to explore and unpack this from all angles, which was refreshing. Nicely done video. Subscribed.

[@susankim174]

The Locke family collected land rent from the Chinese, which worked out well for both parties.

[@KMac1982]

What camera and filter are you using. Love how your video is filmed.

[@kgobrien1]

the delta is an under-explored area of the Bay Area. Appreciate your interesting video.

[@user-zr7zv6sx2y]

..been a whole even of ghost investigation...cool place I'd lived in Northern California my entire life , had no idea it existed until Ghost Adventures had an episode ..

[@vickiv5834]

Go GIANTS!!! I was scrolling looking for something interesting when I saw your title and stopped!!!! Who makes a title with colors of the Orange and Black ? Only a G fan!!! Awesome !!! I'm enjoying the video. Don't forget "DODGERS SUCK"😊❤

[@user-cptpwp]

3rd of July, 2016 Walnut Grove volunteer fire department saved Locke from a fire, amazing since the town is all dried out wood structures.

[@kjs1968]

17:54 Love the Manx!

[@soosilly79]

Fantastic!

[@MrSpaceRangers]

Should have visited the Iceream shop

[@thrill2020]

Al the Wops steak and peanut butter

[@thomfult7956]

The amazing thing is a fire never found that place cause it would be gone in seconds!

[@juanitab14]

New sub!

[@StuckinCal2024]

Is it still private land?

[@xH3LLZx]

Good sturgeon fishing there!

[@gawainjones9427]

bethel island

[@dcorbin5779]

Yes🎉

[@sierrashere6957]

Yeah !!! Was my home for years 😊

[@KnightOfZero117]

I fish behind the town. Great for bluegil and bass

[@user-cptpwp]

And after Al the Wop, head for Giusti’s Bar and Dinner ; unfortunately it burned to the ground in September 2021. According to the owner, it won’t be rebuilt. Stood for 100 years!

[@deekdeegler5059]

Frozen in time. Insane.

[@stefanoflocchini7805]

Nothing wrong with what it was like 3:59 back then or the word wop!!!

[@theghostoftravel]

fire video! I live 30 mins from there.

[@vvarietyshow]

appreciate that!

[@dahookmob]

This is like my backyard kool place with a lot of history I’ve seen people scuba diving the river finding all types of artifacts from the early days Surprisingly the Chinese food ain’t that good😂

[@vvarietyshow]

I bet those KZbinrs that do magnet fishing would have a field day out there lol

[@jstyles510]

Nice 👍🏽

[@donaldperson948]

We shouldn’t sell land to forighners! I don’t want that in my country!

[@richardcarmichael9173]

and how about those Brothels! They're the best!

[@MichelleMarie1492]

I had the chance to live in walnut grove back in 2020 for afew years. As picturesque and quaint as these little delta towns are, they have very little growth or opportunity for its 😂residents. No new housing, no employment, heck, only one small gas station for miles around!

[@hahaMFB]

All of the delta was filed with Chinese everywhere!!!❤

[@Vallehoe]

Town ain’t big enough for the both of us ahh town

[@hamsterman2008]

Al the What ???

[@aaronbright5028]

We get drunk on our boats and pull up there to eat chicken strips at the lil bar bro shit is super far from abandoned and anyone that's anyone has been there bro😂

[@sraimand1982]

Best meth in the delta!

[@mackattack8627]

A Town Built By Chinese Immigrants In California ✌