Walnut Grove

Locke was used as a burial ground by the local Miwok and Maidu tribes. Chinese laborers built levees in the mid and late 19th century to drain the Sacramento Delta and reclaim land for agricultural use. Almost 100,000 acres were reclaimed but at great cost: the region was infested with malaria, and contracted workers lived off less than a dollar a day. Many of these workers settled in Walnut Grove, but in the early 20th century a 14-acre town began to be developed on the north side of the cross-delta canal. Two hotels were built, but the town's growth was slow until 1915, when a fire destroyed Walnut Grove's Chinatown. The Cantonese population of the original Chinatown moved north to Locke, and they developed accommodation for farm laborers from the San Joaquin Valley. In the mid-20th century, however, Locke began to decline as residents moved to America's fledgling suburban areas. In 1971, the neighborhood of Locke between the Sacramento River and Alley St was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was not until the 2000s that residents were allowed to own the land where they lived due to California's historic restrictions on the sale of land to those of Asian descent and the holding of land by developers. By the 2010s, Locke was being restored with museums and shops, although another fire in 2016 caused some damage.

The historic district was founded in 1851, when Chinese-Americans were expelled from other towns in California. John Wesley Sharp and Alex Brown, local businessmen who were supportive of Chinese and Japanese immigrants, rented land to the new residents and helped them start businesses. By the end of the 19th century, Walnut Grove was one of the key cities for trade in the Sacramento Delta. Local societies of Chinese businessmen maintained laws and regulations and the city thrived until 1915, when a fire destroyed the Chinese-American neighborhood. The town was rebuilt but became largely of Japanese descent, rather than Chinese. Both the Chinese-American and Japanese-American Historic Districts were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

After Walnut Grove's Chinatown was destroyed by a fire in 1915, Japanese-Americans developed a Japantown on the northern side of Walnut Grove, just south of the canal. The town was known as "Kawashimo". It developed rapidly and by 1920, a Japanese school was established due to California's policy of segregation prior to 1947. In 1942 (during WWII), U.S. Executive Order 9066 was signed, and all people of Japanese descent were evacuated from the town. Although many returned briefly after the war, the population's demographics shifted toward those of Mexican and Filipino descent. The town's architecture remains little changed from the interwar era. The historic town spans 5 acres between Winnie St, Tyler St, C St, and River Rd and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1990.

Offers parking for trailers. Has services including a convenience store, laundry, showers, electricity, and a boat washdown area.

500-acre park with hiking trails along the local canal levees. There are no services in the park such as restrooms or trash disposal.

A spot to park your car and fish on the Georgiana Slough.