| -> | | | | Service, who tends to it along with the New York |
| New York City is a popular place, receiving nearly 50 | | | | Harbour's other famous landmark as part of the |
| million tourists annually. People travel from around the | | | | Statue of Liberty National Monument. |
| world to visit the unofficial capital of North America, | | | | The Immigration Station itself was designed by |
| resplendent in cosmopolitan lifestyle and a culture as | | | | Edward Lippincott Tilton and William Alciphron Boring, |
| equally diverse as its rich social and political history. | | | | both of whom received recognition for their design |
| Whether for world renowned cuisine, hip counter | | | | at the Paris Exposition in 1900. Over the years its |
| culture or iconic sightseeing, tourists flock to New | | | | iconic Grand Hall and cramped immigrant sleeping |
| York year after year. Two million of whom go on to | | | | quarters held 12 million men, women and children. |
| visit one of New York Harbour's most recognisable | | | | During the peak of immigration into North America in |
| sites - Ellis Island. | | | | 1907, nearly 1.5 million immigrants passed through Ellis |
| Ellis Island, situated on the Hudson River, operated as | | | | Island. |
| an immigration station from 1892 until 1954. Its first | | | | Of the hopeful millions, two per cent were denied |
| immigrant was Annie Moore - a 15-year-old from | | | | immigrant status, their rejection earning Ellis its |
| Cork - who first walked through its gates on January | | | | nickname, The Island of Tears. Rejections were |
| 1; its last was Arne Peterssen, a Norwegian mariner, | | | | made predominantly on health bounds, whether for |
| in 1954. | | | | obvious reasons of disease or insanity or if they had |
| Now owned by the Federal Government, Ellis Island | | | | held a criminal past. Of those who were successful, |
| was first privately owned by Samuel Ellis in the 1770s. | | | | however, 3,000 died on Ellis Island in hospital |
| Prior to becoming a federal immigration station, for | | | | detention. |
| which it is more commonly known, Ellis Island had a | | | | Immigration procedures enabled health officials to |
| number of titles and served a number of different | | | | determine who was suitable to enter the United |
| purposes. It was previously called Oyster Island for | | | | States and a 20-second medical examination was |
| its rich oyster beds, Kioshk by native Indian tribes | | | | deemed sufficient to raise queries over the health of |
| meaning 'Gull Island', Anderson's Island and Dyre. The | | | | individuals, whether for reasons of the heart, hernia |
| island served as a colonial outpost, a wartime | | | | or conjunctivitis, which was then chalked on their |
| stronghold and an ammunition depot until, in 1892, it | | | | blazer or jacket, sending them on for isolation, |
| was converted into a receiving station for the | | | | detention or dismissal. All in all, the process only took |
| country's immigrant population. | | | | some two to five hours, leaving many free to enter |
| Immigrants who were typically processed by Castle | | | | America in relatively little time compared to that of |
| Garden Immigration Department, which operated | | | | their arduous journey from the corners of the globe. |
| from 1855 until 1890, in Manhattan, were now to be | | | | Immigrants came from Asia, Europe and Russia, |
| transitioned through Ellis, which was a larger | | | | mixing faiths, religions and cultures interminably. As a |
| compound. | | | | result, almost half of all Americans can trace their |
| Ellis was created predominantly by means of artificial | | | | family back to a relative who entered via the Port of |
| landfill, which constitutes nine tenths of the modern | | | | New York Authority on Ellis Island. Famous names |
| island. As the island grew over the years from 3.3 | | | | that passed through the Grand Hall include opera |
| acres to 27.5 acres, contention arose over its | | | | tenor Enrico Caruso, entertainer Bob Hope, film |
| jurisdiction. As more than 83 per cent of the island | | | | maker Frank Capra, actress Claudette Colbert, |
| falls within the New Jersey City district, and the | | | | cosmetologist Max Factor and physicist Albert |
| remaining portion within that of New York City, | | | | Einstein. |
| numerous legal wranglings ensued to identify direct | | | | While millions of immigrants were shipped to the |
| ownership. Although an 1834 edict declared that the | | | | States through Ellis every year, nowadays, millions of |
| two states would share ownership of the island, a | | | | tourists choose to take flights to New York and |
| 1998 Supreme Court resolution declared that New | | | | continue to visit Ellis Island, every year. |
| Jersey held responsibility for all parts of the island | | | | The information contained within this article is the |
| created after the 1834 conclusion. Today, New | | | | opinion of the author and is intended purely for |
| Jersey and New York share ownership of the Island, | | | | information and interest purposes only. It should not |
| which, following a declaration by Lyndon Johnson in | | | | be used to make any decisions or take any actions. |
| 1965, was handed over to the US National Park | | | | |