The first thing a visitor to Angel Island will notice is the breathtaking views. We walked the five-mile perimeter path, so the entire hike was a scenic experience. It’s also very hilly, so for a lot of the trek, we were feeling the burn. It was completely worth it! The only way to get to Angel is by boat, so we took the first ferry over and the last returning to San Francisco. It’s about a 30-minute ride. We spent the day walking the perimeter, stopping for a picnic and to tour the old buildings on the island, before arriving back at our starting point for a quick drink at the café, before heading back.
We met up with my sister’s sister-in-law, Claudette, and we pondered the appropriate term for our relationship (friend, family, family friend), couldn’t decide, and then set out on our adventure. She’s so much fun and reminds me so much of her brother, my sister’s husband, who is currently in Afghanistan. The girls had met her before, though they were too little to remember it; but took an instant liking to her after getting reacquainted. Rayne even spent the majority of the ferry ride back giving her various hairstyles.
Angel Island has an immense past, including being a Native American settlement and an Army camp, but the part that is most interesting to me is its role in immigration history. Between 1910 and 1940, hundreds of thousands of Asian immigrants came into the United States by way of Angel Island. In fact, it has been referred to as “The Ellis Island of the West.” Apparently, and I did not realize this until our visit, immigrants from other continents were also processed there (including Europe and Australia), but the majority were Asian. Many were from Korea and Japan, but the largest group to first set foot on American ground via Angel Island was Chinese.
Because the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited immigration of Chinese laborers, was still in effect until the early 1940s, many Chinese immigrants were detained on Angel Island for years. They were kept for questioning, medical exams, and just because of their country of origin. It, essentially, became a prison for many who were coming to America for a better life. There were also those who were turned away and sent back home, dashing any hopes of achieving the American Dream.
Much of the immigration station was destroyed by fire at some point, but visitors can still tour a building where immigrants lived while on the island. It has been turned into a museum, operated by Angel Island State Park.
There didn’t seem to be much information on the Native Americans who once inhabited the island, so I can’t report anything there. We did get to learn some about the military presence that was once on Angel Island. Fort McDowell – once a discharge station for returning troops, and then a transit station for troops leaving and returning, and even once a holding ground for prisoners of war – was decommissioned in 1947 (though missile magazines were constructed on the island following that). Many of the buildings of the old post still remain, including an eerie hospital and some decrepit officers quarters. As I love anything old and abandoned, I was on top of this, exploring all areas that were still open to the public.
Aside from the incredible history of Angel Island, the panoramic views are reason enough for a trip there. We saw some of the best views of downtown San Francisco and surrounding islands (like Tiburon and Sausalito). Ray and I had both been to Alcatraz before, which is another short ferry ride from San Francisco, and we didn’t know how interested the girls would be in it; so we opted for a lesser-known ferry excursion, and Angel Island was definitely a good choice! It had the history for me, nature and views that Ray likes to photograph, and plenty of opportunity for running and climbing for the girls. Claudette, who lives in the Bay area, had never been before, either. So, win-win-win-win-win!
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