The only U.S. town built by Chinese, for Chinese

One of the most unique places in California's Delta region - the area along the Sacramento River between Sacramento and Antioch - is the historic town of Locke.

Founded in 1915, Locke is the only town in the United States built exclusively by the Chinese for Chinese. The community was established after Chinese residents in the nearby town of Walnut Grove lost their homes in a fire.

A group of Chinese merchants led by a man named Lee Bing approached landowner George Locke to construct a settlement on his property. Locke, who had leased a few acres to other Chinese in 1912, agreed to lease 10 to 12 acres of his pear orchard to the merchants (at that time, Chinese could not legally own land in California).

Chinese architects laid out a town with some 60 buildings, which was built over the next five years.

It was originally called Lockeport, but later shortened to Locke.

During the 1920s and '30s, Locke thrived as a kind of wide-open town that was popular with local farmworkers attracted by its gambling halls, saloons, opium dens and brothels as well as its more legitimate businesses like grocery stores, boarding houses, bakeries, herb shops and fish markets.

By the 1940s, Locke reached its peak, with more than 600 residents. Since then, the town has gradually faded as many of the younger Chinese began to move away. Today, about 80 to 90 people live in Locke, and the Chinese population is down to about 10.

The streets of Locke are fascinating to explore. The aged wooden buildings are packed closely together with tiny passageways leading to hidden doorways. The

Sacramento River Delta Historical Society operates a nice, small museum in the former Dai Loy building, which was once the largest gambling hall on the Delta.

The museum is open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m.

Other local businesses worth exploring include several art galleries, Lotus Gifts, the Yuen Chong Market, the Chinese Cultural Shop and the Locke Garden Restaurant, which serves Chinese food. The latter is housed in Locke's first building, erected in 1912.

The Locke Chinese School, built in 1915, was originally constructed by members of the Kao Ming Tong, or Chinese Nationalist Party, founded by Dr. Sun Yet Sen. Between 1926 and 1940, it was used as a school to teach the Chinese language to children.

From the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s, it again served as a Chinese language, arts and culture school. Today, it is a museum open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

In 1970, the entire town of Locke was added to the Registry of National Historic Places and efforts have continued to find ways to preserve the unique-but- aging community.

Ironically, the most popular restaurant in this Chinese town is Al's Place (or, as locals affectionately call it, "Al the Wop's"), which does not serve Chinese food. This cult restaurant is perhaps Locke's best-known establishment and serves massive steak sandwiches for lunch and steak and pasta dinners at night.

The restaurant was Locke's first non-Chinese business and founded by Al Adami, a local bootlegger who acquired the building in 1934. The place is reminiscent of many of Nevada's Basque restaurants, in that customers are served several courses family-style at long communal tables - and rarely go away hungry.

Just a few miles down the road from Locke is Walnut Grove. By Delta standards, this community of about a thousand people is a veritable metropolis.

Walnut Grove was founded in 1851, and was one of the first settlements in the Delta. The town quickly became an important shipping port for the region.

The community also gained a sizeable Chinese population, which assisted in construction of the levee system. The remains of the old Chinese quarter can still be found at the north end of town.

Later, Japanese workers began arriving to work in the surrounding fields of pears, peaches and other products.

A large Japanese district developed, part of which is still standing, including the Walnut Grove Buddhist Church.

Walnut Grove is an interesting place to explore, with its weathered wooden buildings and sleepy countenance.

The town also boasts a couple of quality local restaurants, including Tony's Place (steak and Portuguese beans are the specialty) and Guisti's, which was once a popular hangout for writer Erle Stanley Gardner, creator of Perry Mason, and is noted for its steaks, raviolis and seafood.

Locke is about 40 miles south of Sacramento (via Highway 5, then turn onto Highway 160). For more information, go to http://www.locketown.com or www.locketown.com.

• Richard Moreno is the author of "Backyard Travels in Northern Nevada" and "The Roadside History of Nevada."