Angel Island is the largest island in the San Francisco Bay. It is 1.2 square miles. Angel Island’s earliest populations were the Coast Miwok Native Americans. Angel Island was a safe refuge for Spanish explorers, namely Juan Manuel de Ayala. In 1910, Angel Island was established as an immigration station. Before it was an immigration station, Angel Island served as a port for returning and departing soldiers. During World War II, Japanese and German POW (Prisoners of War) were detained there. In 1946, Angel Island was a Quarantine station. In the 50’s and 60’s, it was home to the Nike Missile Site.
During the Spanish-American War, Angel Island was used to process men returning from and departing to overseas duty. There was a detention camp established on the East side of the island in 1899. It housed returning troops with contagious diseases. The first army troop housed there was the 31st volunteer Infantry exposed to smallpox. In 1901, when the detention center changed locations, a discharge camp was erected. It processed troops returning from the Philippine Insurrection. Soldiers were managed for separation from the Army and given their last pay. In the first 8 months, 11,915 soldiers were processed.
From 1910 to 1940, Angel Island processed roughly 300,000 immigrants. 11-30% of all arrivals in Angel Island were deported, a drastic variation from Ellis Island, who only deported about 2% of their immigrant arrivals. Angel Island prevented Chinese immigrants from talking to friends and family already in San Francisco, isolated immigrants with contagious diseases, and was escape proof.
During the processing of immigrants, men were separated from women and children. Everyone had to pass a medical exam, which were embarrassing for Asians who were not used to disrobing and being probed by strangers. Each individual was then assigned a dormitory room and bunk, where they awaited interrogation. Present at the interrogations were two immigrant inspectors, a stenographer (a writer of shorthand), and a translator. While there, the immigrants were grilled on family history, location of their village, their homes, and other personal information. Family who were already US citizens would be called forward to verify their information. Detainment of the immigrants could last from a few weeks to several months.
http://www.stay.com/san-francisco/attractions/7391/angel-island-immigration-station/
In the fifties, Angel Island was once again used for military purposes when it housed the Nike Missile Site in the southeast corner of the island. One of eleven Nike batteries built in the bay area, it was an anti-aircraft missile site with 100 soldiers enlisted there. The flattened the top of Mount Ida (now Mt. Livermore) to install radar equipment. The site had three launching sections, each equipped with 4 missile launchers that were armed with Nike-Ajax missiles. The Nike Missile Site was abandoned in 1962 and that was the last time Angel Island was used for military purposes.
http://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?maxrows=20&tagid=7087&startrow=21
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Island_(California)
I think that immigration is an extremely interesting topic, especially when you think of how everyone in America is an immigrant in one way or another. It's terrible how much racism and discrimination Asians had to endure in this era. The only choice they had was to endure, they couldn't fight back against rich, white males, immigrants didn't have the power to do so. I couldn't access enough of my own family history, my dad's mom was adopted, my mom doesn't know who her dad is, my great-grandpa on my mom's mom's side is adopted. So I only had access to about a quarter of my family history. I know my dad is mostly Italian, while my mom's side is- German, Scottish, Polish, and a million other things. Nothing I have ever learned of my blood relation is of any interest.
Sources:
"KQED : Pacific Link: The KQED Asian Education Initiative: History: Angel Island." KQED : Pacific Link. The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, 1994-2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. "Life on Angel Island." Angel Island. Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
Angel Island Conservancy. "History." Angel Island Conservancy. California Department of Parks and Recreation, n.d. Web.
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Excellent job Rebecca!