Wakamatsu Colony
The first Japanese settlers began arriving in 1869. Like many other immigrants, they confronted harsh conditions and overwhelming barriers that made it extremely difficult to succeed, yet ultimately, their presence became a stronghold in the Central Valley and beyond. An important step toward progress and development was the founding of Wakamatsu Colony, the first place many Japanese settlers began their American experience.

For more information visit: www.cr.nps.gov/nr/feature/asia/

Japanese Internment
Meet the Sato family who survived evacuation to one of the enforced internment camps that spread throughout the country after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Hear their story of triumph over a dry and desolate place where Japanese families brought boldness and beauty to a destination encompassed by isolation and insecurity.

For more information visit: www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/5views/5views4e.htm

Early Chinese in the Valley
The Gold Rush and the rush to complete the Transcontinental Railroad brought opportunity for many Chinese to escape a tumultuous time in their own land and come to America to experience new and challenging changes occurring here. With the tremendous help of tens of thousands of hard-working Chinese immigrants, California was transformed and so were their lives.

For more information visit: http://cprr.org/Museum/Chinese.html

Fiddletown
Nestled within the Sierra Foothills along Highway 49 lies Fiddletown, a place rich in Chinese ancestry and artifacts that once boasted the largest Chinese population outside San Francisco.

For more information visit: www.fiddletown.org

Locke
In the heart of the Delta beats the ancient spirit of Chinese descendents who settled in the quaint river town of Locke during the 1900s. Buildings dating back to the original settlers weave a story of a vibrant past linked with the present day viable though smaller Chinese community living there today.

For more information visit: www.locketown.com

Angel Island
When the Chinese arrived by ship to San Francisco their first dry land encounter was not of the city, but the island in its bay that we now enjoy as one of our beautiful state parks, Angel Island. Chinese immigrants endured discriminatory policies, which legally confined them to the island for unlimited lengths of time in unbearable conditions, yet not even this undesired detour could deter them from reaching the destination they held in sight.

www.angelisland.org/immigr02.html

Kim Leow
Kim Leow captured the beauty and simplicity of the Delta on canvas and brought to life the essence of faded memories of a forgotten time. Enjoy listening to the story behind the man told by his children and expressed through his paintings depicting the fertile fields and weathered barns of the bygone days of Stockton.

Season eight of "Central Valley Chronicles" is underwritten in part by Classic Living.