Locke was founded in 1915 after a fire destroyed most of the Chinese neighborhood in nearby Walnut Grove. Chinese residents of that community decided to establish a town of their own, and a group of Chinese merchants led by Lee Bing, Chan Hing Sai, Tom Wai, Chan Dai Kee, Ng So Hat, Chand Wai Lumm Chow Hou Bun, and Suen Dat Suin formed a committee to find a new place to live. They approached local landowner George Locke about building a town on his land, and an equitable agreement for the creation of a new community was quickly reached. Chinese architects laid out the town, building soon followed, and the community, first named Lockeport and later Locke, was quickly populated by Chinese merchants and farm workers. By 1920, Locke stood essentially as it does today.