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.
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