Introduction

Welcome students! By viewing this blog, you are going to take a virtual tour of Angel Island. At most of the stops on this field trip, there will be a time to reflect on your learnings by writing in a journal. Angel Island is very beautiful and interesting and I hope you all listen up and pay attention to all that you will learn because after this virtual field trip, I will assign a paper having to do with this topic. This island is very important in the history of Chinese immigration in California during the time between 1910-1940. Angel Island is located in the San Francisco Bay and is actually the largest island in the whole bay area. A brief history includes this:

From 1910-1940, Chinese immigrants were detained and interrogated at Angel Island immigration station in San Francisco Bay. U.S. officials hoped to deport as many as possible by asking obscure questions about Chinese villages and family histories that immigrants would have trouble answering correctly.

Immigrants were detained weeks, months, sometimes even years. Word got back to China about the prolonged questioning, so people would try to mentally prepare before even crossing the Pacific Ocean.

A 1940 fire destroyed the Angel Island administration building, so the U.S. government abandoned the immigration station. The so-called "Chinese Exclusion Acts" eventually were repealed. Over the years, Chinese have settled in every U.S. city.

Many years have passed. But many Chinese still recall the hardships of detention.

**Students** Enjoy the virtual experience!

First Stop: Ferry Terminal!

Before we depart to the historic Angel Island, we have to take the Tiburon Ferry from the mainland to the island. This is about a twenty minute ride across the beautiful bay until we arrive in Ayala Cove which is where the ferry drops us off for our field trip. Included is a picture of the ferry which is named the "Blue and Gold Fleet." And the second picture is of Ayala Cove, our destination.

Second Stop: Ayala Cove

Our second stop is at Ayala Cove where the ferry leaves us on the island. Ayala Cove has much historical relevance, as it was once called the "quarantine station" for the immigrants traveling to the island...

In 1891, a Quarantine Station was opened at Ayala Cove (then known as Hospital Cove), where ships from foreign places were sanitized, and immigrants who showed signs of disease could be kept in isolation so it wouldn't be spread.

On April 27th, 1891, a steamship from China arrived at Ayala Cove and this ship had to be put into quarantine because the passengers aboard the ship had smallpox. When the passengers reached the station, they were checked by a doctor, then they bathed with carbolic soap, and were forced to wear overalls made by the attendants. Their clothing and baggage were sent through large metal cylinders where it was disinfected with live steam under pressure. The passengers were then assigned to barracks for a fourteen-day quarantine. As years went by and more and more immigrants came to Angel Island, the medical attention they received improved a lot because of better modern technology and more research and resources were available.


After reading this, I want you to imagine what it must have been like to arrive in a foreign place and be in critical need for medical help. These immigrants (mostly Chinese) did not speak the native language of English and a lot of the times, they were separated from their families. Think of what this experience must have been like and I want you to write a journal entry in which you describe your thoughts on arriving to a new country and starting a whole new experience.

Third Stop: Immigration Station

Third stop on our field trip is the Angel Island Immigration Station.


When the immigration station at Angel Island first opened in 1910, the new detention facility was considered ideal because of its isolation from others. There were buildings to house and care for detainees, a pier, and regular boat service to the mainland. During the next 30 years, this was the point of entry for most of the approximately 175,000 Chinese immigrants who came to the United States. The average time period that detainees were held on Angel Island was anywhere from two to six weeks, but unfortunately, for some, they were held for as long as two whole years.

Interrogations that were held at the station could sometimes take a long time to be completed. While these interrogations were taking place, many of the immigrants wrote poems in their own language to express their feelings of what was happening around them. Its interesting because even to this day, a few of the poems that were written into the wooden walls are still there and able to be read.

Today, most visitors to Angel Island find the Immigration Station a place of reflection. While often called the Ellis Island of the West, the Angel Island Immigration Station, was in fact quite different. Arrivals at Ellis Island were welcomed to this country, by the near by Statue of Liberty and screened primarily for medical reasons leaving an average of 2-3 hours of arriving. At Angel Island, the objective was to exclude new arrivals, the memories of many returning visitors are therefore bittersweet. A museum has been established in the old barracks building. It includes a re-creation of one of the dormitories, and highlights some of the poems that were carved into the station's walls.

--Many immigrants came to the United States to flee from problems going on in other countries or perhaps to join family members that have already made the journey to America. The purpose of the immigration station was to ask the newcomers questions about why they were here and to investigate if they should stay or not. This process was horribly unfair and as you can imagine, very emotional for the immigrants. In your journal, reflect on what you have learned about this process in the immigration journey.



This video talks about the immigration station on Angel Island and what types of things it was used for back when immigrants came to the island. It shows a lot of great images so we can see what it looked like on the inside and out.



Another video about the process of Angel Island Immigration Station...

Fourth Stop: Fort McDowell

In 1910 the Army began a major building program on the east side of Angel Island, using military prisoners from the Army Prison on Alcatraz as labor. The post headquarters moved to the new garrison, which became the East Garrison of Fort McDowell.

Fort McDowell was very active during World War I, serving as a Recruit Depot for men entering the Army. Men drafted in the western states were sent to Fort McDowell, and enlisted men returning from Hawaii and the Philippines were processed at the post. About 4,000 men per month passed through Fort McDowell during this period. Following World War I, military activity declined and Fort McDowell became the Overseas Discharge and Replacement Depot in 1922. More than 300,000 soldiers were shipped to the Pacific Theater of Operations through Fort McDowell.

The busiest period for the post was around the time World War I ended. About 23,632 returning men were processed during December, 1945, the busiest month in the post’s history.

--Many men were enlisted in the United States Army through Fort McDowell. This is a place of much historical significance at this location. People from all over the west were forced to pass through as part of the

Fifth Stop: Quarry Beach

This is Quarry Beach, it is a sandy secluded beach that is great for relaxing and sunbathing because it is sheltered from the breeze that the bay gives off in the afternoons. This is where we are going to stop for lunch and have our mid-field trip discussion about the cites that we have seen thus far. Now is a great opportunity to ask any questions you might have and also to reflect in your journals.

Sixth Stop: Camp Reynolds

Camp Reynolds (aka West Garrison)

Use During Civil War Era:
With much concern building over threats to the Bay Area from Confederate sympathizers and naval forces, the federal government established Camp Reynolds on Angel Island in 1863. Artillery batteries were built near the camp and at Point Stuart, Point Knox, and Point Blunt.

Post Civil War:
After the Civil War, Camp Reynolds became an infantry camp, serving as a depot for recruits, and as a staging area for troops serving in campaigns against the Apache, Sioux, Modoc, and other Indian tribes. By 1876, this was a busy camp with over 200 soldiers and a complete military camps or posts including a church, bakery, blacksmith, shoemaker, laundry, barber, trading store, and photographer.