Angel Island Immigration Station re-opens to visitors on April 1

Posted by admin on Feb 24, 2009

Known as the "Ellis Island of the West," the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay stood for 30 years as a gateway to America.

Closed for renovations since 2005, the station re-opens to the public on April 1, offering new guided tours and access to areas previously off-limits to visitors.

History

Located on Angel Island, near the island of Alcatraz, the station opened in 1910 and processed the immigration of more than one million individuals, including 175,000 from China and 150,000 from Japan.

Due to the Chinese Exclusion Act passed in 1882 — which strictly regulated the number of Chinese immigrants allowed into the U.S. — some immigrants were detained for long periods of time on Angel Island, from two weeks to up to two years. Conditions were prison-like in the station’s barracks, and immigrants had to undergo a rigorous interrogation process to verify their eligibility and identity. If they passed the screening process they were finally allowed into the United States. If not, they were sent back overseas.

Thirty years after the station was closed, a park ranger in the 1970s discovered hundreds of poems written in ink and pencil, as well as etched into the wooden barrack walls. These poems offer a poignant glimpse into the frustrations and fears of the detainees, and have been preserved thanks to the efforts of State and National Parks and other organizations.

New tours and exhibits

Before the closure for renovations in 2005, only the first floor of the immigration barracks was available to the public. Now, guided tours of the entire barracks and the outside grounds allow visitors to get a more complete picture of the detainees’ harsh circumstances and the beautiful poetry born from them.

In addition to the barracks, the station has built a "footprint" on the location of the burned-down Administration Building — an open-air foundation outlining the different areas of the building complete with interpretive panels and a mock interrogation table.

Tours of the station take place Wednesday through Sunday, at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2 p.m., and are available to individuals and small groups on a first-come, first-served basis. (Groups of 10-30 people can schedule tours in advance.)

If you can’t make it out for a tour, you can still get a peek into the past by checking out the "Room 105" display, open every day from 8 a.m. to sunset. Interpretive displays and artifacts spell out the story behind the poetry in this exhibit. Staff is on hand Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., to answer questions about life at the station.

The rehabilitation of the immigration barracks is just the first in a five-phase series of renovations for the 13-acre station, which includes plans for the historic hospital, the World War II military barracks, the pier, and more.

Angel Island State Park

Angel Island is a 740-acre State Park that provides spectacular views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Marin County. In addition to the immigration station, there are other historic sites to explore, related to the island’s role as a military installation during World War I and II, and as a quarantine station for incoming ships from 1891-1946.

The island also offers 13 miles of hiking trails and 8 miles of paved roadway for biking. Bike rentals are available on the island during the high season, or you can rent a bike in the Fisherman’s Wharf area and bring it with you on the ferry.