User:Tannerwilliamson/Angel Island (California)

Immigration Station:
Angel Islands' main goal at the beginning of the twentieth century was to assist the government in enforcing limitations on Chinese immigration and other Asian ethnicities. Before it became an immigration station, the island was used as a military reservation. Starting in 1904, the United States Congress would spend over $250,000 in an attempt to construct a new immigration facility in San Francisco, California after they had seen the success of Ellis Island in New York. Angel Island was supported by Hart Hyatt North who served as the San Francisco Commissioner of Immigration. He supported giving immigration officials larger offices while giving the Chinese immigrants a better detention center and the location of the island allowed officers to watch new arrivals that came from the sea. An earthquake occurred in the Bay area in 1906, at that time, it influenced many Chinese families to seek immigration to America to re-establish connections with their extended family members. California was a popular destination for Chinese immigrants before the twentieth century. Based on the island's location, government officials were able to conduct lengthy interrogations to determine Chinese immigrants' citizenship statuses while executing their common goal of detaining immigrants off the coast of California. The government's detention center arose due to the contributions of architect Walter J. Matthews who originated from Oakland, California. Matthews would rely on Ellis Island's architectural layout to help him design the Angel Island facility in California because it had been proven to be successful for America's governmental needs. They broke ground in construction starting in 1907, and by 1908, the main portions of the building had been completed. In January 1909, the Department of Commerce and Labor chose not to open Angel Island due to its insufficient finances and poor justification which delayed its original launch. President William Howard Taft traveled to San Francisco in October of 1909 to review the project. Taft expressed great support for the facility as he announced the grand opening on January 21, 1910. From 1910 to 1940, one million people would be processed in the port of San Francisco on their way in and out of the United States. There were over 341,000 aliens and returning residents, 209,000 U.S. citizens were arriving in the United States, and lastly, 483,000 aliens and 183,000 U.S. citizens were fleeing the country from San Francisco. It had become evident that this island off the coast of California was an "Asian barred zone." The land was only accessible by boats or commercial ferries that traveled back and forth from San Francisco and Marin County. Once immigrants arrived on the island, they would walk a mile to the detainment center with astonishing views of the Bay. When immigrants walked into the site they were welcomed by a panel that said, "Americas Pacific Gateway" signifying that Angel Island was the port of entry along the west coast of the United States of America.