Asian American Heritage Park Tour

Isleton’s residents of Chinese and Japanese ancestry are largely gone. What was once Chinatown and Japantown is now known as the Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial District. The District joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 and still consists of over 40 historic buildings. This Asian American Heritage Park was built to share the history and legacy of Isleton’s Chinese American and Japanese American communities. The Park’s interpretive panels highlight accomplishments and challenges that Chinese and Japanese immigrants to the U.S. and Delta region and their American-born children faced throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries. Accomplishments include the creation of a thriving Chinatown despite highly discriminatory immigration laws, and the resilience of those of Japanese descent in the face of incarceration during World War II. The experience of residents of Chinese and Japanese heritage captures the reality of Asian American history while illustrating their strength in the face of adversity. The Heritage Park pays tribute to these Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans and their contributions to the city of Isleton, State of California, and United States. These historic communities are still important today as reminders of decades of anti-Asian discrimination and civil liberty violations in the U.S. along with the power of civil activism to overcome such injustices. This Park memorializes the past struggles, perseverance, and legacies of these communities and honors those who sacrificed to make a stronger and better place for later generations.