Angel Island is a historic and scenic island in San Francisco Bay in the western United States . The 1.2-square mile (3.1-square kilometer) island is the largest body of land in the bay. It lies about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) north of San Francisco and 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) southeast of California’s Tiburon Peninsula. The island is best known for its role as a United States immigration station. Thousands of immigrants—most of them from Asia—entered the country through facilities there from 1910 to 1940. The island later became a unit of the California State Parks.
Miwok Indians began using the island as a fishing and hunting camp thousands of years ago. Seals and sea lions gathered on the island, and surrounding waters were rich with salmon and shellfish. An expedition led by the Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala visited the island in 1775. An inlet on the island—Ayala Cove—was later named for the Spaniard. California became a province of Mexico in 1822, after Mexico won its independence from Spain. In 1839, the island became the site of a cattle ranch.
Mexico surrendered its claim to California in 1848, following the U.S. victory in the Mexican War . The U. S. Army established Camp Reynolds on the island in 1863, during the American Civil War . Army engineers later built artillery batteries there for coastal defense. In the 1890’s, the U.S. Marine Health Service opened the Angel Island Quarantine Station. The station fumigated foreign ships and held in isolation sailors and immigrants who were suspected of carrying disease.
In 1900, Camp Reynolds was renamed Fort McDowell. The army used the facility to quarantine U.S. soldiers returning from duty overseas. Throughout the early 1900’s, thousands of soldiers passed through the fort before leaving for, or returning from, overseas assignments.
About 1910, the island became the main processing center for immigrants arriving via the Pacific Ocean. Over the next 30 years, hundreds of thousands of immigrants—including about 175,000 from China and tens of thousands from Japan —passed through Angel Island. Because of laws that limited Chinese immigration, officials gave the newcomers’ applications added scrutiny. Most arrivals were held at the facility for periods ranging from a few days to a few months, and about 18 percent of prospective immigrants were deported. For its role in enforcing the nation’s immigration limits, Angel Island became known as the “Guardian of the Western Gate.” In 1940, a fire destroyed the station’s administration building, and immigrants were relocated to processing centers on the mainland.
In 1954, the California State Park Commission acquired a portion of the island. In 1962, the federal government turned over most of the remainder of the island to the state. Today, visitors to Angel Island State Park enjoy such recreational activities as hiking, boating, camping, and sightseeing. The park also offers tours of the historic immigration station and military barracks, as well as other noteworthy island sites.
