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Show TheSalt Lake Tribune THE WEST Friday, December24, 1999 Last Rural Chinatown Fading Buildings crumble, culture changing BY JOANNA CORMAN ‘THE LODI NEWS SENTINEL LOCKE,Calif. — Past the pear orchards, the deep-orange foliage and drawbridges on a winding river road,lies a little town.It's a jet place, a mix ofeast and west, whose facade has faded but ose spirit is strong. > It is the town of Locke, the na- Gon’s last rural Chinatown. It is narguably a cultural and historic ure. Cot whetherit’s being reborn ér continues to decay and die reunclear. About 25 miles northwest of i, Locke became a homeat the of the century for Chinese larers and merchants who were tripped of their rights and segreted to the Del ta. They plucked pears from the ‘ees and built the levees that aimed some 88,000 acres from Delta marshlands. Mostof the buildings have not m repaired since they were iit almost 100 years ago. On in Street, they tilt and buckle ard. Their paint is chipped weathered, their foundations ible. It was a place founded by Chinese for the Chinese,and is and American-born Chinese residents have died or moved away. Butthe cycle continues with Mexicans, Filipinos, Chileans, whites and other groups taking their places. And whileit is still a home to farm workers, most of whom now speak Spanish, artists and retirees havealso madethis Delta town their home The residents, by and large, don’t have the moneyto repair the tin siding,fill in the holes, reinforce the foundations made with floods and overhaul theoriginal sewer system. Its history plays a role in what se town. Manyof the original Chinese residents, a town worth preserving. Atone time, 400 people lived in Locke. In the 1950s, the Chinese started moving out, non-Chinese started moving in, and stores be- gan to close. Now some80 peoplelive there. Abouta dozen are Chinese. In 1915 a fire swept through the Chinese section of the town of Walnut Grove a few miles away. ‘The people had a choice. They will happen to this place, the last ofits kind. It is a private village. Twenty could rebuild or move. Those from the Toi Shan district of China stayed. The Chung years ago, Locke Development Corp., a Heng Kong company, Shan people, led by Bing Lee, bought the 10-acre town and 450 acres of pear orchards from its original owners, the Lockefamily. Because most of the property owners don’t own the land under- moved to Locke. Lee approached George Locke, a prominent Sacramento merchant, and asked to lease the land. Lee financed the construction of six buildings for $1,200, adding neath, theyfind it hard, if not impossible, to get bank loans and to a saloon, gambling hali and boarding house that were the sole structures in Locke, built by peo- owners, the county, state, and tourists all having a stake in what roofs — a combination of Chinese andDelta influence — are suited for river life. Each one on Main Street has two stories. Most had ean Locke has been in limbo 8 ce, And with residents, Locke's Lockeshould looklike — should it be preserved as is or restored to its original state — there has been little momentum for Locke's longterm preservation. Perhaps until now. The Sacramento County Hous- be the nation’s last living Chi- a fh grant to makesure the buildings don't collapse. While the buildings rot and its Chinese residents slowly disappear,itis still a vibrant town, say ing and Redevelopment Agency has given the town a $300,000 ple from the Chung Shan. The wooden buildings with tin Darren Antonovich/Lodi News-Sentinel Ping Lee,82, sits in his business, The Big Store, in Walnut Grove, Calif. Born and raised in Locke, Calif., Lee remembers when the town wasan all Chinese community. His son Darwin Kanis working in the background. Locke,a cultural andhistoric treasure,is the nation’slast rural Chinatown. wooden slats that resemble an old-fashioned washboard, that hang permanently from the In the winter whenit floods, the balconies, In the middle of town, where the houses sit so close together residents moved upstairs. In the you can only walk singlefile be- balconies — the rest collapsed with age. summer, the residents would move downstairs, some hidden behind sun shades, horizontal tween them, the soundoftraffic whooshespastfar away and birds twitter. People’s conversations and movements spill out onto the gravel road. Ping Lee, 82, wants Locke to last well pasthislifetime. Lee used to be Locke's unofficial mayor. He is the son of Bing Lee, Locke’s foundingfather. About 40 years ago, Lee moved back to Locke from Sacramento, at the behestofhis father. Lee had been running oneof his father’s manybusinesses. His father told him it was his duty to go back andlead. Lee said if he didn’t return, “Locke may not be standing here today.” “T always felt coming back to Lockeis oneof the happiest things I could do in my lifetime.” One-Armed Bandits Help Nevada Celebrate Millennium & THE ASSOCIATEDPRESS Operating in the San Francisco Bayarea, Fey foundplenty of sa- }; CARSON CITY, Nev.—A quick through the former Assem- loons that wanted to install the devices. Sailors and other saloon regularsloved them. history of slot machines. , Take your time and closely ex- Market Street in San Francisco chamber in the Nevada Capi4s as good as a crash course on Charles Fey & Co. operated on until the 1906 earthquake wrecked the building the company occupied. Fey saved his original Liberty Bell, restarted his business, lost money in a bank failure and started his business again in a ine the two dozen-plus ma- ¢hines, read theliterature offered, pare the construction metals, payouttables, the dates and pany names,notice the design iil and handiwork, and you've ked up a quick Ph.D. in 100 of gambling technology. = Thanks to the grandsons of the shed. His son, Edmund, continued in the sameline of work, In addition to preserving the who invented the three-reel old slots produced by his grandfather and father, Marshall Fey in 1983 wrote Slot Machines: A Pictorial History ofthe First 100 Years of t machine, 100 years of slot de- and innovation are on dis- y on the second floor of the ite Capitol Building through Feb. 28. | Marshall Fey, grandson of injventor Charles Fey, brought the exhibition to Carson City as part of the city’s millennium lobservance, { Marshall and his brother came to Renoin the 1950s, jopening the Liberty Belle restauit, now a South Virginia Street ‘k. The restaurantis deco- vated with antique gaming ma- shines and other gambling and |Western memorabilia. | All buta few ofthe machines in {the exhibit are from the brothers’ pee collection. Some of the ‘AP Photo Frank Fey, left, and Marshall Fey stand next to a mannequinbedecked vintage slot machine recovered from fire at the Golden Hotel, on display in the Assembly Chambers in the Nevada Capitol. newest machines in the display are from CarsonCity casinos. “In March, [Nevada state archivist] Guy Rocha said he thought it would be a great pro- motion for the millennium committee,” Marshall Fey said of the idea for an exhibit. Did the state museum people have to do much talking to persuade the brothers to create the display? “No,” came the answer in forceful unison. the World’s Most Popular CoinOperated Gaming Device. The booknowis in its fifth printing. 5,043 DISC 18,497 A MEMBEROF THE RICK WARNER AUTO GROUP 4175 W. 3500 S., West Valley City, UT. 84120 © 801-955-7448 The centerpiece of the display is an 1899 Liberty Bell slot machine — the original reel slot, invented by grandfather in San Francisco. isco, Charles Fey worked on the Liberty Bell for years before coming up with his successful slot machine,It contained three reels that whirled around and spit out tokens whencertain symbol combinations lined up such as three bells, a heart or diamondflush, or horseshoes. Ron Raddon & Raddon Brothers Construction cordiallyinvite you to preview the spectacular Water Feature, Grand Entrance andfinished Rockwood Model Home at eMAURS elias -ess than 7¢ a minute. The at Bell Canyon locatedjust south ofLa Caille restaurant at 10300 S. Wasatch Boulevard Open House Sunday, Dec. 26 FREE DIGITAL PHONE™ between 1:00 - 6:00 p.m. MSRP (99.95 instant rebate -99.95 you PAY $00.00 $ aan hpnee ee =c.=-c wie 94 9 per month® j 600 minutes That's less than 7¢ a minute! The Boulders at Bell Canyon, will be an exclusive gated developmentsecured in a relaxed condominium style setting, and is nestled high above the Salt Lake Valley resting on approximately 40 acres overlooking Dimple Dell. The Boulders at Bell Canyon will consist of 39 various luxury homes in a ted community; 18 two-stories & 21 rambler s , including 9 free standing residences, with stunning mountain and valley views. FOR FURTHER INFOR! PLEASE CONTACT CLAUDIA KLAWE Director of Sales & Marketing Associate Real Estate Broker Coldwell Banker Premier a |
