Sacramento Delta Trip Part III: Isleton, CA

Sign for historic Main Street in Isleton, CA

A few weeks back, we took a trip to the Sacramento River delta towns of Locke, Walnut Grove, and Isleton, CA.  This post documents our exploration of Isleton.  Like Walnut Grove, Isleton once had a substantially large Chinatown and Japantown.  Ethnically speaking, this town's claim to fame is the Bing Kong Tong building, a colorful structure that was featured on the PBS series, History Detectives.

Entering Isleton, you notice that you drive through the "good" side of town first.  Homes here have manicured lawns, well-tended front yard gardens, and the quintessential white picket fence.  Then, as you cruise down historic Main Street, the scenery progressively becomes "seedier" with more character and noticeable structural decay--this is where the town's businesses are located.  Isleton's Chinatown and Japantown are located at the end of Main Street, away from the white part of town.

 Entering Isleton: the "good" part of town 

Driving down old Main Street 

Driving down Main Street, old and dilapidated buildings catch one's eye--some with new businesses, others are remnants of buildings locked up and closed.  Many cars were parked in spaces, but few people were seen on the streets.  The feel of Isleton is that you are stepping back in time (minus the modern cars and businesses), but tourism is less prominent a feature here than in Locke and Walnut Grove.  We instead felt out of place as tourists.  An ominous feeling pervaded, like we were foreigners who were tolerated by the town's locals.  (FYI: my photos of the non-Chinatown area were taken while driving.)

The "seedier" part of Isleton

Lots of rustic character = neat photos

When we arrived in the Chinatown, we parked and stepped out.  For history lovers, the Bing Kong Tong (see below) may be the main attraction here on Isleton's Main Street.  Background: the Tong Wars were fought between rival tongs (aka Chinese gangs) in the pre-1920s era throughout the West Coast.  Interestingly, Tong buildings operated as community centers, but were basically a commercial front for gang activities.  This pre-1920s time period was like the Chinatown Wild West, since it was before families could establish in the US due to anti-Chinese laws (it was not until the early 1950s that this changed).  The fact the Isleton has a Tong building shows that the Chinese community here was once thriving.

 

Bing Kong Tong--

featured on the PBS series, History Detectives

According to the signage next to the Bing Kong Tong, the historic renovation has largely been an ongoing process.  Peeking into one of the windows, one can see modern wooden support beams and insulation added to preserve the building's structure.  The signs below detail, in a scholarly way, both Chinese American and Japanese American history in Isleton and the surrounding area.  

Note the metal walls--

this choice in outer building material was because it is a fire deterrent

Isleton's Japantown and Chinatown history is stated in the informative panels above.  

If you are interested in reading the information here, I took a close-up shot of each panel. 

A colorful Chinatown building

Chinatown buildings; same colorful one as above

(photo taken from across the street)

Where are the Japantown photos?

We drove through Isleton to find its Japantown, but it appears that few buildings are now labeled as such--or at least to those who casually drive by.  Due to this, and the feeling of being a foreigner (with stares from locals), we did not pursue an exploration of the adjacent Japantown.  There was a temple, I believe, down a side street that we saw while cruising by.

 Sidewalk near the Chinatown and Japantown areas 

The lighting was harsh in mid-day and the weather hot, but the photos here captured the desolation and solitary small-town feel that we experienced in Isleton.  

Afterthoughts:
Looking back, my favorite photos from this Sacramento River delta-towns trip were from Isleton--although we did not exactly feel welcome there as tourists.  The run-down buildings, abiding stillness, and various states of decay left an imprint on me, a belated gift from this tiny rural town.

Locke and Walnut Grove were more exciting and fun to explore on foot, and were undoubtedly more tourist friendly.  It is not a surprise that I enjoyed the visit to each town for different reasons: Locke for its rich ethnic history and decaying, funky feel; and Walnut Grove for its quaintness and warmth, plus its history.

For history buffs, each town--Walnut Grove, Locke, and Isleton--offers something slightly different and unique to the visitor, although the drive is all but 10 miles apart.  A trip to all three towns can be completed in a few hours, and is worth the drive.  Highly recommended if you love rural life, historic sites, and wandering around semi-deserted towns.

Links:
- History of the Tong Wars:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Kong_Tong
- Isleton Chamber of Commerce:
http://www.isletoncoc.org
- Historic Chinatown and Japantown in Isleton:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isleton_Chinese_and_Japanese_Commercial_Districts
- California's old Japantowns:
http://www.californiajapantowns.org/profiles.html
http://www.japantownatlas.com
- A cool Flickr feed of Sacramento delta towns:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/whsieh78/albums/72157626067277853

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Part 1 of this Sacramento delta trip to Walnut Grove can be read here.

See Part 2, our trip to Locke, here.

Sacramento Delta Trip Part I: Walnut Grove, CA

A few weeks back, we took a trip to the rural California delta towns of Locke, Walnut Grove, and Isleton located about 30 miles south of the state's capital along the scenic Sacramento River.  You cross the highway and there is the river beyond a 10-foot levee: both towns are only 10 feet above sea level.  This post documents our trip to Walnut Grove, with some history thrown in.

Sign in Walnut Grove indicating the old Chinatown and Japantown

History:

In the early 20th century, the town of Walnut Grove was home to a thriving Chinatown, and even boasted a large Japantown.  These communities shared a border due to racial segregation.  However, a Chinatown fire in 1915 provided the impetus for many in the Walnut Grove Chinese community to move--and move they did, a mile away, and built the tiny town of Locke from the ground up (see my next blog post).  Another fire in the '30s wiped out Chinatown yet again.  The Japanese American community in Walnut Grove, on the other hand, never burned down and instead became a cultural hub.  Yet after Japanese American relocation and internment during WWII, the population shifted; as later generations moved to urban areas for better opportunities, Japantown adapted.  According to this site, today there are still some ethnic businesses and a JA community in Walnut Grove. 

    

Below are some photos I took on our trip to this historic town:

Hayashi Co. (market)

Located on the corner of Tyler and B. Streets; next to the public parking lot.

It appears that the storefront is still used--the phrase "productos Mexicanos" is visibly adhered under the bolded old shop name on the sign.

Kawamura Barber Shop

First opened in 1916 by an Issei (first generation), the owner's daughter continued her father's business until at least 1993--signs inside the shop note its history.  Looking into the window of this once-business was like stepping back in time: modern appliances can be seen among early 20th-century decor.

Front of Kawamura Barber Shop 

(Chinatown is behind the photographer)

Chinatown buildings

Note the repainted Chinese Freemasons sign above the pale-green doorway of the yellow building.  I am unsure if these buildings were built prior to the 1915 and 1930s fires, but the buildings do indeed look old.  Mainly businesses (art studios, restaurants, etc.) line this street, and all appeared closed--or the doors were closed due to midday heat.

Afterthoughts:

Walnut Grove is a tiny tourist-friendly town without the tourist feel.  We really enjoyed the trip, and spent over an hour just taking it all in.  The streets of the historic districts shown here were mostly free of people; few cars lined the curbs.  Some restaurants were open, but otherwise the town was fairly quiet, which was perfect for exploring and taking one's time photographing the immediate area.  As for parking, the Japantown and Chinatown were a short walk from the designated parking lot, but a Japanese temple and a few other buildings are on other streets (see map here).  It was neat seeing the modern uses of the old buildings, but finding the Kawamura Barber Shop was the highlight of the trip, as it was a unique snapshot in time.  Japantown now appears to be a residential area, so we kept our voices down.  This town is definitely worth a visit if you are interested in history and rural, small town life: population 1,500.

Note: There is a short bridge that can be accessed slightly south of Walnut Grove to cross the river.

Links:

- Walnut Grove/Locke tourism: 

http://www.walnutgrove.com/index.html

- Informative site on California Japantowns:
http://www.californiajapantowns.org
- Helpful Japantown maps:
http://www.japantownatlas.com

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See Part 2, our trip to Locke, here.

Read Part 3 on Isleton here.