🏝️ Who lived on the island in the bay?

Here in California, out in San Francisco Bay, there is a green island called Angel Island. Long ago, it had a special station where people arriving from far away had to stop first. Who do you think stayed there? Travelers! About a hundred years ago, when your great-grandparents were little, big ships crossed the wide ocean from China and other places in Asia. Imagine a girl your age on one of those ships, after many weeks at sea.

She is so ready for her new home. But first, the ship stops at the island. Doctors checked everyone, and officials asked lots and lots of questions. The rules back then were unfair, especially to people from China. So many travelers had to wait on the island, sometimes for weeks, or even months. They slept in bunk beds stacked up high, like a tower of building blocks.

Imagine sharing one bedroom with that many snorers! Waiting so long, some people felt sad and missed home. So they carved poems into the wooden walls, telling their feelings. About one million people came through that island station! Those carved poems are still on the walls today. People visit to read them and remember the brave travelers who made California their home.