08/20/2026
LOCKE MEMORIAL PARK REACHES MILESTONE
October of 2026 marks the 20th year since the Locke Memorial Park was completed and open to the public.
Centrally located on Main Street, the park has offered thousands of visitors a glimpse into Locke’s history and a meaningful place of solace and reflection.
THE BEGINNING
It was a quiet autumn evening in 1984 when a fire erupted inside Bob Jang’s building on Main Street Locke. Through the years the structure had housed a brothel, a gift shop, offices, and various other enterprises. At the time of the fire, the building served as a single-family residence. Some say the blaze was caused by a grease fire when unattended children tried to cook on an old gas stove. Regardless of the cause, the results were disastrous.
Volunteers from the Walnut Grove Fire Department fought and contained the blaze, but not before the building lay in a heap of burnt rubble. Miraculously, the adjacent Yuen Chong Market and Wah Li Dry Goods Store were saved from the flames. Lingering questions and rumors about the fire’s origin persisted long after the debris piles were removed, and for years the barren w**d infested lot glared like a missing tooth.
After years of tolerating the ugly vacant lot, Locke Foundation board members bantered ideas for a constructive use of the neglected space. It was finally decided that a good use of the lot would be a community park; a place where residents and visitors could sit, rest, and enjoy the uniqueness of Main Street Locke, and perhaps reflect on those individuals who built and once lived in the town.
A game plan needed to be set in motion. The vacant lot needed soil removal and amendments, landscaping, planting of proper vegetation, construction of fences and Memorial Tile walls, and most significantly, the creation of the Locke Monument. This is when good fortune arrived.
THE VOLUNTEERS
Walnut Grove Rotary provided funds and muscle to remove and replace two feet of depleted topsoil from the area. The ground was graded to ensure proper drainage and a watering system installed.
Locke native son Whitney Marr, graduate of U.C. Berkeley School of Architecture, volunteered his skills to the layout of the park. Whitney designed the pathways, pergola, and fencing.
Premiere Northern California arborist and Walnut Grove native Daisy Mah volunteered her expertise with the design and planting of the park flora, all of which are indigenous to China and California.
The next volunteer to lend a hand was Locke native and skilled stone mason Nelson Loo, who designed and created the walls for the Locke Memorial Tile Project.
The final element of the project was completed by a remarkable young lady, Elyse Marr, daughter of Whitney Marr. While still in high school, Elyse began designing the beautiful Locke Memorial Monument. She completed the design and construction of the monument during her freshman year at Stanford University.
Locke Mom Connie King created the text placed on the black granite walls of the monument. Connie’s words were dedicated to the Chinese immigrants who founded Locke and helped shape the history of California.
Locke Foundation Vice Chairman and Locke business owner Clarence Chu spearheaded the entire project. Through the generosity of Clarence’s sister Lien Fan Chu, a $25,000 donation was given to the Locke Foundation to complete the Locke Monument.
THE PRESENT
A debt of gratitude is owed to all the volunteers for the time, energy, and skills they have generously given to all aspects of the Locke Memorial Park Project. The Locke Foundation is proud to have created a space where the LF mission to educate the public about the history, culture, and legacy of Locke can be viewed and shared by Locke’s many guests.
The Locke Foundation is also grateful to Memorial Park Maintenance Supervisor Linda Easton-Waller for her dedicated and skillful service.
We invite you to come to Locke and enjoy its picturesque uniqueness and be informed of the historical significance of our town – The largest, most complete example of a rural agricultural Chinese American community in the United States.
Article By Stuart Walthall - Chairman Locke Foundation
Proto of sitting child - Mary Hinkle
