Angel Island US Immigration Station

I took a "bus man's holiday" and visited Angel Island Immigration Station, August 10, 2014.

From 1910 to 1940, the Angel Island Immigration Station processed approximately 1 million Asian immigrants entering into the US, leading to it sometimes being referred to as "The Ellis Island of the West". Due to the restrictions of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, many Chinese immigrants spent years on the island, waiting for entry. While waiting for entry into the United States, many of those at Angel Island began carving poetry in the walls of their barracks. Officers of the station puttied over the walls as many as seven times between 1910 and 1940 to cover over the poetry. In time, the putty flaked off and the poetry was visible again. A fire destroyed the administration building in 1940, and subsequent immigration processing took place in San Francisco.

In 1964, the Chinese American community successfully lobbied the State of California to designate the immigration station as a State Landmark. Today, the Angel Island Immigration Station is a federally designated National Historic Landmark. It was renovated by the California State Parks, which re-opened February 16, 2009.

Plan your trip and visit Angel Island ASAP!