January 24, 2023

By Aaron Danzig

On a weekend summer day, as the morning fog lifts over the San Francisco Bay, China Cove on the northeastern shore of Angel Island State Park is washed in sunlight–tranquil except for the laughter of children playing on the small stretch of sandy beach and the voices of 200 to 300 visitors.

To most first-time visitors, the cove is another picturesque spot from which to picnic and watch tankers and yachts sail by. To others who know about the island’s history, the cove is a curiosity. But to those whose relatives passed through the old immigration barracks on the north slope of the cove, the small, drafty, wooden building–bare and sparse–represents the "Ellis Island of the West." (read more)