Ever since the United States became a country, immigrants came here for a better life. Many immigrants had to pass through two different islands. Ellis Island off of New York City, New York, and Angel Island off the coast of San Francisco, California. Two different islands that did the same job.
Long ago, Angel Island was used as a hunting and fishing place for indians. In 1910, it became an immigration station for mostly Chinese immigrants. Many immigrants spent years on the island waiting to enter the US. They were questioned and most of them couldn’t answer the tough questions, so they got deported. Those immigrants that made it through Angel Island, usually settled in San Francisco. It eventually closed down in 1940 due to a fire. Over one million immigrants passed though Angel Island.
Ellis Island was also used by indians for food, and was once was called Oyster Island. Just like Angel Island, Ellis Island, was made into an immigration inspection station in 1892. Mostly immigrants from Europe came through Ellis Island. Immigrants had to pass many exams such as eye exams, intelligence tests, and health screenings. Not every immigrant made it to the US, just like Angle Island. Immigrants that passed through would move on to New York City, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and other big cities on the East Coast. Ellis Island eventually closed in 1954. Over twelve million immigrants passed through Ellis Island.
Angel Island is sometimes called, “The Ellis Island of the West Coast”. A lot of American families can trace their family history through Angel Island or Ellis Island. Eventually not all immigrants traveled here by boat, so these island closed down. Even though Ellis Island and Angel Island did the same job, immigrants that passed through them would say their experiences were very different.