A Guide to the Immigration Station’s Historic Plants and Gardens

There are several notable plants and plantings found around the site. You can access this Google Map from your phone on your next trip to discover the rich biological diversity of the Angel Island Immigration Station. Click on the map’s icons and shaded areas to see additional photos and learn more about the site.

Witnesses to History

When the Bureau of Immigration surveyed the site in 1903, they found mostly grassland with a few oak trees scattered across the landscape. As construction began, the architect requested native oaks be retained where possible.

“Contractor to remove all trees as is necessary in the erection of buildings; that is, all trees on the water front to be removed. Also all other trees or shrubs as is necessary by the construction of the buildings or the roads or ditches. No other trees or shrubs to be cut or mutilated on the site, unless directed by the supervising architect, as it is the intention of these specifications to retain as far as possible all shrubs and trees.”

One of the surviving trees was a mature oak near the hospital’s front porch. From 1910 to 1940, the oak provided shade for recuperating patients. Today, it is one of the oldest trees at the site.

Landscaped Areas

On October 18, 1910, the Bureau of Immigration approved $898.51 for “ornamental trees, shrubs, and seeds.” This was one of the first gardening allotments after the site’s opening in January. Although the Bureau never developed a formal landscape plan, the Station’s gardener, Joseph Silva, made routine improvements that dramatically altered its appearance over the next thirty years. He is responsible for introducing numerous ornamental trees, flowers, and shrubs to the site. In addition to maintaining the Immigration Station’s natural grasslands, Silva created several gardens that offered employees, residents, and immigrants a place to gather, reflect, and unwind. Some areas have retained their garden-like features, while others were lost after the Station closed in 1940.

A memo from 1939 describes several plantings that occurred in the latter half of the Immigration period, many of which are no longer found at the site.

“Monterey and ponderosa pine and scrub oak seedlings were set out on the south slope of Angel Island. Other trees planted since 1930 included black locust, Douglas fir, redwoods, cypress, and Australian tee trees, as well as lilacs, firethorn, and toyon. Nearly one hundred different wildflowers were reported growing on the island.”

While Mr. Silva is credited with planting dozens of species native to Asia, Europe, and Pacific Island nations, immigrants also played a small role in shaping Angel Island’s biodiversity. A longtime island resident, Anthony Julius, reflected on this in July 1946.

“An East Indian immigrant who had been detained on the island later became wealthy and returned to India. Because he had greatly admired Angel Island, he sent East Indian plants to the [Immigration] Station gardener, Mr. Silva. The plants, of East Indian origin, eventually spread...”

One of the plants referenced by Julius may have been the giant reed, which was present at the site as early as 1914. Due to its invasive qualities, this East Indian grass eventually spread beyond the Station’s grounds to other parts of the island. When the site was abandoned in the 1940s, it became overgrown with other invasive species like thistle and Scotch broom. Today, much of the landscape’s historic character has been lost. What remains are the site’s five topographical areas. They include:

1. Waterfront (includes China Cove and the fog bell)

2. Hospital Slope (the lawn and pathways below the hospital)

3. East Slope (includes the area around the hospital and bluffs)

4. West Slope (includes the detention barracks, mess hall, and power house)

5. South Slope (includes the tar path, mule barn, pump house, and employee cottages)

Waterfront

The waterfront extends from the beach to the steps of the former administration building. During the Immigration period, the area was traversed by employees and immigrants alike. Detainees would have seen a variety of tropical trees from islands in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. These plants helped establish a strong waterfront by growing robust root systems in the sandy soil. Many species were planted between 1910 and 1915, making some specimens over 110 years old. During this time, a row of toyons and two Monterey cypresses were planted along the waterfront. Today, only one of each remains.

The area’s most notable plant species is the Canary Island date palm. Four palms once marked the shoreline of the Immigration Station, making them the site’s most visible and iconic trees. Former Angel Island detainee and celebrated composer Sergei Prokofiev mentioned the palms in his autobiography.

“…the people were polite, the meals provided were acceptable, there was clean linen in which to sleep, and in the evening one was permitted to stroll about the square planted with flowers and palm trees.”

Another Russian immigrant, Nadia Shapiro, similarly mentioned the palms in her unfinished novel. Her perspective was from the women’s second-floor dormitory, facing the waterfront.

“By pressing their faces to the wire, they could look from their second-floor windows upon the garden below, with the Stars and Stripes floating from a pole surrounded by palms. That was the World Outside.”

The waterfront’s character-defining features survived beyond the Immigration Station’s closure and throughout the army’s occupation. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US government arrested Japanese Americans suspected of being sympathetic to Japan. As many as 700 men of Japanese heritage were sent to Angel Island in 1942. One of these men, George Hoshida, recorded his impressions of the waterfront in his unpublished diary.

“The air was crisp and fresh with trees, shrubs, and grass covering the hilly slopes of the island. Pretty birds which I had never seen back in the islands, flitted among the trees vibrating the air with their sweet music. I saw a tiny humming bird for the first time with its blurring wings. It darted among the branches, stopping motionless for a few seconds at some flowers. I’ve seen them illustrated in books and read about them, but seeing them for the first time gave me a thrill.”

Hospital Slope

The hospital slope includes the lawn and walkways below the hospital’s front porch. Female detainees and hospital patients frequented this area during their daily walks of the site. Historic photographs show women holding flowers on the administration building roof, presumably gathered from one of the Station’s landscaped areas. Daisies—planted on the lower portion of the slope—were frequently seen in these photographs.

The hospital slope is one of the most biologically diverse areas of the site. Surprisingly, each tree has a medicinal use, but whether the hospital’s pharmacist or immigrants utilized them as a remedy is unknown.

• Black locust: burns, eye problems, asthma, and gastritis

• Cabbage tree: cuts, cracks, sores, and stomach pain

• Carob: diarrhea, heartburn, obesity, and high cholesterol

• Deodar cedar: high blood sugar, infections, typhoid, cancer, and constipation

• English yew: rheumatism, fever, arthritis, and diabetes

• Grecian laurel: rashes caused by poison ivy, poison oak, and stinging nettle

• Lemon-scented gum: muscle spasms, toothaches, and joint pain

• Lemonwood: stomach irritation, coughs, colds, and bad breath

• Marri: dysentery and diarrhea

• Oriental arborvitae: joint pain, insomnia, headaches, anxiety, and depression

• Red-flowering gum: coughs, colds, and respiratory infections

• Toyon: stomach and body pain

• Washington hawthorn: blood pressure and heart disease

East Slope

The east slope was originally an expansive grassland that required routine maintenance from the Bureau of Immigration. As early as 1914, the Commissioner requested mules and mowing equipment from Fort McDowell to routinely trim the grass at the Immigration Station.

Two varieties of trees are prevalent along the east slope: blue gum and Monterey pine. Both species were planted in 1915 as a wind break for the Station. Many of the Monterey pines died in 1930 from water starvation caused by drought and their proximity to the eucalyptus grove. The significant die-off prompted an investigation by the US Department of Agriculture.

West Slope

The west slope has fewer plant varieties than other areas, but it contains several distinctive features like a blue gum grove and mixed woodland that stretches from the mule barn to China Cove. Cowparsnip and calla lilies are frequently found on the slope’s northern end, which would have been used to stabilize the steep terrain beneath three employee cottages and give color to the surrounding landscape.

Historically, fruit trees appeared near the cottages and barracks. However, none exist today on the west slope. It is believed that a “Japanese apricot” was located behind the barracks. Honolulu businessman Kumaji Furuya was another Japanese American detained on Angel Island during World War II. He wrote the following description of the Station’s west slope in 1942.

“Behind the [barracks] was a small field on a hill. Bushes grew around the field, and I happened to find apricot flowers blooming among the green leaves. Birds were singing, and it felt as if spring were here.”

A loquat tree was documented on the slope in 2001. It is believed that loquats were introduced to California by Chinese immigrants during the Gold Rush. The Station’s loquat tree was referenced by several former detainees, making it a significant contribution to the site. Native to Southeast China, loquats are sometimes referred to as “Chinese plums.” See Gom Chow—a Chinese detainee in 1940—recalled picking plums from the recreation yard fence. 

Russian immigrants also had access to a recreation yard overlooking the west slope. Vasily Troitsky, a detainee in 1923, described the area as a “garden” in an article written for Russkii Golos.

“We have before us a veil of grates that they put on the doors, window and even the small garden where we are permitted to go for a walk twice a week. The fence of that garden is surrounded by barbed wire, although during the entire existence of the immigration station nobody tried to escape from here.”

South Slope

The south slope is one of the most expansive areas of the site, extending from the Station’s gate to the east reservoir. The slope once had a freshwater stream that sustained the native flora and fauna for centuries before the site became an Immigration Station. During construction (1905-1908), the stream dried out, creating a “natural way” used by mules for hauling building materials up the hill. Commissioner North personally requested the use of mules for developing the site in November 1908. With his request’s approval, a barn was built to house them.

“I think a good span of mules and truck wagon and passenger wagon, together with the necessary harness, etc., could be bought for less than $1,000. These animals would also be very useful in breaking up the soil in preparatory to grass plats and other gardening; also some of the grading and making paths, etc.”

Between 1913 and 1940, the south slope contained a dense population of trees and flowers bordering a tar path. Under the supervision of a matron, female detainees were allowed to take walks there for fresh air and exercise. Husbands could also visit with their wives along the picturesque path. Because the south slope was less visible than other areas of the Station, Mr. Silva had more freedom to exercise his talents away from the more regimented designs required around the Bureau’s buildings. This freedom resulted in a lush landscape with several unique varieties found nowhere else at the site.

Today, the slope retains little of its former landscaped appearance. Most of the area has returned to native grasslands. However, several remaining non-native trees hint at its historic character.

Employee Gardens

During the Immigration period, the Station was home to several civil service employees and their families. These employees were responsible for critical functions that required them to be on the island outside regular operating hours. Restaurant, engineering, laundry, and hospital staff all occupied cottages on the island. The Bureau’s head gardener, Mr. Silva, also lived at the site with his wife and son.

The Bureau allowed several gardens to be built for the Station’s residents. The pump house garden is one area that was used exclusively by children of Immigration employees. Little else is known about this garden, except that several oak trees were used for recreation purposes. A tree swing, hammock, and arborglyphs (tree carvings) appear in several historic photographs.

Near the employee cottages, fruit-bearing trees and ornamental shrubs were introduced. Several known varieties in this area include blue elderberry, cherry plum, Catalina cherry, toyon, bougainvillea, California privet, belladonna lily, and oleander. In 1916, the US Army allowed Immigration employees to establish a community garden fifty feet beyond the perimeter fence. This arrangement was unexpectedly terminated in 1932 when Fort McDowell retook the land. In response, Commissioner Nagle wrote a letter to Washington D.C. in hopes of settling their territorial dispute.

“Without this small strip of ground these four cottages are left with no backyard. This ground was fenced in and was utilized principally for drying clothes and for gardens, the space between the cottages not being sufficient for these purposes… Recently the present commanding officer, Colonel P.H. McCook, ordered the razing of the fencing and clothes line poles in the area referred to, without notice or warning to this office, thus terminating the arrangement of many years standing… As a matter of fact, this ground when fenced in serves an additional purpose because it keeps horses outside the corral away from the cottages, thus avoiding to a certain degree extent odors and other incidental nuisances.”

Fog Lamp Garden

The fog lamp garden stood between the main administration building and the barracks, making it visible to male and female detainees from their dormitories. It featured a functioning fog lamp that formerly stood on the wharf until a signal light replaced it in 1913. The garden was completed by 1914 under the guidance of Commissioner Steward and Mr. Silva. 

A French immigrant briefly mentioned the garden in his 1922 autobiography.

“Through the window, the view looked down on little flower gardens. If only we could go take a few moments’ walk there! But no, the employees close the door behind us with care each time they moved us into a new room, impossible to escape.”

With a low brick wall and a looped pedestrian path, the fog lamp garden featured herbaceous plants, ground cover, small trees, and rose bushes. In 1931, the roses were threatened by mule deer, which prompted Commissioner Haff to send a letter to Fort McDowell.

“Gardener [Silva] reports that deer from the army reservation are entering the Immigration grounds and raising havoc with the shrubbery, having a particular fondness for the rose bushes. Recent emergent repairs made to our fences fail to bar the deer from entering the Immigration grounds, in view of which we would ask that the movements and activities be confined outside the Immigration Reservation.”

Between fifteen and twenty deer were brought to the island by the army in 1915. The population slowly increased until 1966, when an estimated three-hundred deer were on Angel Island. During that time, over-foraging led to the destruction of many flower species introduced by Mr. Silva. Today, only a few bulb plants can be found at the site, including lilies and daffodils that bloom in the spring and summer.