The Immigration Station once had two records vaults inside the former administration building. Built of concrete, these vaults held over a million documents, including passenger and crew lists from all foreign vessels entering the Port of San Francisco dating back to 1851 and immigrant files collected after the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882. They were the only two rooms that survived the devastating fire of August 12, 1940—an event that led to the site’s closure six weeks later.
THE VAULT draws upon these historical records as well as contemporary documents and sources to explore special topics related to the Angel Island Immigration Station and its history.
Angel Island was home to one of many immigration stations in San Francisco. From detention ships to high-rises, discover the city’s history of immigrant detention.
Dedicated on Angel Island in 2011 and 2012, the Immigrant Heritage Walls contains 284 granite plaques honoring immigrant ancestors and former detainees.
Take a deep-dive through the history the first floor Chinese men’s dormitory, discover what life was like for former detainees, and learn how they maintained order in the barracks.
Look beyond the translations to discover unique characteristics of thirteen Chinese poems, including their hidden histories and surprising connections.
Interviews with former detainees create a portrait of collective memory, capturing the hopes, fears, and sacrifices of Chinese immigrants held in detention.
For many, the island was a prison; for others, it was a home. Learn about the Station’s employee residents and what it was like growing up on Angel Island.
One of Immigration Station’s most recognizable photographs is reexamined, revealing new information about the immigration experience on Angel Island.
In 1917, German sailors were captured in the Pacific, transferred to Angel Island, and interned for six months during the war. See 14 photos from their time on the island.
The administration building comes back to life with new research, photos, and 20 color plans showing how it was used by staff and immigrants.
Brothers Benson and Richard Wong arrived on Angel Island as paper sons. Their journey eventually led them to serve in the US Military during World War II.
The Immigration Station was once home to hundreds of plant varieties from all over the world, some of which can still be found today.
Tales from the kitchen, its workers, and former immigrants have shaped our understanding of the restaurant’s role in Angel Island’s history.
Between 1910 and 1940, approximately 300,000 immigrants from over 80 countries were detained at the US Immigration Station site.
Visiting the Immigration Station is the first step in uncovering your family’s history. Use this guide to find immigrant records related to Angel Island.
Patients wrote on the hospital walls as early as 1910. Nearly a century later, the messages and drawings were at risk of being lost forever.
After two weeks at sea, immigrants were confronted by immigration inspectors, who determined whether they could land in San Francisco.
Angel Island’s former immigration hospital was at risk of collapse after sixty years of neglect until renovation efforts transformed the building into a museum.
Hospital employee, Michel DeLaune, laid his beloved pet to rest at the Immigration Station. Seventy-five years later, the children who grew up on the island remember him.
Chinese poems reference the once-green walls of the men’s barracks. It was one of several paint layers covering inscriptions left behind by former immigrants.
In April 1979, restauranteur Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron donated a three-ton granite monument to Angel Island to honor the Chinese immigrants detained at the site.
