Strange Cargo Art & Collectibles

Strange Cargo store alone makes it worth visiting the California Delta. You can even buy Johnny Cash photos here – the only place outside of Folsom Prison Museum’s gift shop that these original Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison photos are available. Also, you’ll find interesting old books on the Delta, clothes, and many other interesting things not found in big box stores.
Locke looks like a Hollywood western movie set but is an authentic old, nearly unchanged California town full of history for all ages to study. It has become a cultural art and music center, too, with impromptu jam sessions at the Moon Café Gallery and the new ice cream parlor up the street from Strange Cargo.

I stopped here recently when I came to visit Locke. I’m a history buff, especially California History. Hands down, this is the best used bookstore for California history I’ve ever visited. Thomas Herzog is the owner, and he is a local historian who really knows his stuff. I saw books that I’m sure would be difficult to find anywhere. I live in south Orange County, so I’m sad I won’t be able to return here soon, but the next time I’m travelling north, I’ll make a point of stopping here again.

Some of the selection is strange (but maybe I should have guessed that, given the name) and I liked the layout in the old location better, but I am still glad that this place exists. At Strange Cargo, you can find a fab mid-​century turquoise chair, a great driftwood table, and a fun selection of old postcards (a current obsession of mine). Lots of Hawaiian memorabilia, if you’re into that, and a really nice owner who, like me, was distressed to consider expanding her inventory to Harley-​Davidson gear. Nothing against the biker community, but I’d like this place to stay funky.