Ellis Island

Ellis Island has a long and exciting . History was the "Gateway

to America" from 1892 until it closed in 1954, The island was called

Gull Island by the Indians and Oyster Island by the Dutch people.

Later the English made it a place for hanging criminals and so the

island became known as Gibbet Island. The Indians sold it to the

Dutch East India Company for trinkets. The company later sold it to

Mynheer Paauw who also bought land along the New Jersey coastline.

Samuel Ellis, a colonial merchant bought the island and it became at

last Ellis Island. After the Revolution, the island was sold to New York

State and in 1811, Fort Gibson was built on it to prepare for the War of

1812. No fighting took place at Fort Gibson it was mainly a munitions

storage fort.

When immigrants began coming into New York City, New York

State processed them at an old fort known as Castle Clinton(i bet it was

called castle clinton because it was easy to get into) on the Battery at

the tip of Manhattan. When that it became too small for the large

number of immigrants arriving in the country, they chose Ellis Island as

the new immigration center. After making new wooden buildings, it

opened in 1892 but those buildings burned in 1897. New buildings

were built in 1900 and it opened again. Eventually the control of

immigration was turned over to the Federal government.

Ellis Island was the federal immigration station (The Gateway

to America) in the United States from 1892 to 1954. More than 12

million immigrants were processed here. Over time, the immigration

station spread over 3 connected islands with loto buildings including a

hospital. It is estimated that over 40 percent of all citizens can trace

their ancestry to those who came through Ellis Island. After passing a

bunch of immigration laws in the 1920s it was used more for deporting

aliens. Immigrants were required to pass a series of medical and legal

inspections before they could enter America. Those who did not pass

these inspections were returned to their country on the boats that

brought them here. Even though only 2 percent of those coming to

America were turned away at Ellis Island that came out to over 250000

people whose hopes and dreams turned to tears and messed up lives.

Ellis Island has nt effected my life tramendusly but it did effect it

slightly in ways of my ancestors might have came through it.

It was the Gateway to America , it was needed, and it was built.

Ellis Island.