The delta swampland on which Locke was built on was home to Native American
Miwok and
Maidu tribes for hundreds of years. Tribal burial grounds exist on the Locke parcel. Legislation such as the Swampland Reclamation Act of 1861 was enacted in California to put perceived empty and wasted lands to use and stabilization. Much of this involved draining the Delta wetlands and building levees to regulate flood control in places like Locke. Contracted labor was often paid the equivalent of less than one dollar a day per worker. They built hundreds of miles of
levees in waist deep water where
malaria still rampaged, reclaiming a total . Following that early construction the Canton Hotel was built, along with several other buildings. A total of seven structures eventually formed the hamlet of Lockeport. Though some merchants hoped to provide a destination for riverboat and train passengers, the idea never worked due to the discrimination against Chinese during those times. One of the homes built in the first phase of construction provided shelter for Chan Tin Sin's cousin Chan Chor Get and his family from the discriminatory acts and violence in San Francisco Chinatown. On October 7, 1915, the Chinatown of nearby
Walnut Grove was destroyed by an accidental fire. Afterwards, the Main Street section of Locke was established and settled by a group of Chinese immigrants from what is now modern day
Zhongshan in southern China's
Guangdong province, headed by Lee Bing, a Chinese American businessman. Whereas
Taishanese-speaking Chinese settlers remained in Walnut Grove after the fire to rebuild, the
Cantonese-speaking Zhongshan Chinese settlers migrated to Locke to create a town of their own. The land was leased from George Locke as California law at the time forbade the selling of farmland to Asian immigrants by the
California Alien Land Law of 1913. The population of Locke swelled with the growing season and harvest. Most of the reclaimed land in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta including Locke was used for cash crops, including asparagus, potato, sweet potatoes, white beans, pears, and apples. The Locke Historic District is bounded on the west by the
Sacramento River, on the north by Locke Rd., on the east by Alley St., and on the south by Levee St. The district was added to the
National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1971. In 2004, the agency finally allowed the sale of land to those who had been living on it for many years. There were plans to convert Locke into a housing development and
tourist attraction. At the north end of Main Street, the restored Locke Boarding House museum (now owned by California State Parks) operates daily, staffed by volunteers. The Town of Locke celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2015, with a large gathering on May 9. On July 3, 2016, a fire erupted on the second floor of the Locke Country Store on Main Street, which contained two apartments. The fire resulted in the complete destruction of the second floor of the building and a building behind the store. There were no injuries. The Locke Historic District was designated a
National Historic Landmark on December 14, 1990. ==Politics==