A tale of two Delta towns: Uncovering Asian American history

NBC Universal, Inc.

There’s a lot of Asian American history in Northern California. We took a road trip to the Sacramento Delta to explore two historic towns, Iselton and Locke.

We visit the town of Isleton, which is about a 90-minute drive north of San Francisco. Back in the late 1800s, the town was mostly Chinese and Japanese immigrants. The immigrants moved there for the agriculture jobs and ended up playing a big role in transforming what we know as the Delta area today.

Ten miles north of Iselton is Locke, a town built by Chinese immigrants for themselves during a time of discrimination and exclusion. It was built with little or no foundation.

NBC Bay Area's Gia Vang shows us the history.

The historic town of Isleton is a little more than an hour drive north of Berkeley. Back in the late 1800s, mostly Chinese and Japanese immigrants lived there to work. They ended up playing a big role in transforming what we know as the delta area today. Gia Vang has the story.
Contact Us