The answer to the question of where Ellis Island is located is known to any American. This is not surprising, since, according to statistics, almost every resident of the United States has in his family tree a person who once came to the country through him. Thanks to the Museum of Immigration located here, this piece of sushi is known throughout the world.
Name
Ellis Island is located in the middle of the Hudson River in New York City. Nearby is the southern cape of Manhattan. During the Civil War, this land area was acquired by Samuel Ellis, who opened a tavern for the local fishermen. It is by his name that the island is named.
Military fortress
The State of New York in 1808 acquired this land plot from the heirs of the owner, and then immediately sold it to the Federal Government for 10 thousand dollars. Later, Ellis Island (USA) was mainly used as a fortress and arsenal, for which barracks were built here. He played this role for eighty years. Be that as it may, during all this time it has never been used to protect the city.
Bastion of immigrants
Since 1814, this place was overtaken by the first massive wave of immigrants. Neither terrifying poverty nor the harsh conditions of crossing the ocean stopped them. People were just looking for a better life. From year to year the number of immigrants steadily increased, in connection with which in 1892 the authorities decided to open an immigration center. The main task of its employees was to register people who arrived, who had to meet a number of requirements related to health, financial situation and work experience. The original building burned down in 1897. Some time later, local architects built a larger center with a hospital, dining room and laundry room. This was also facilitated by the increase in the island's area from 12 to 14.8 hectares. This fact is due to the fact that during the construction of the subway in New York dug land was taken here.
Registration of immigrants
All the settlers who arrived on Ellis Island were waiting for a final decision on their future fate under rather difficult conditions. Many of them died, and did not wait for the results of the check. This is not surprising, because in one stuffy room at the same time there could be several thousand people who underwent a medical examination. According to statistics, every fifth of them was recognized as demented, and many were excluded as potential carriers of tuberculosis.
Over the years the immigration center has been operating, a total of more than twelve million people have been checked. According to statistics, an average of 5,000 immigrants came to Ellis Island daily. For many immigrants from this place, a dream came true. At the same time, more than 3.5 thousand people (almost half of whom are children) died in a local hospital without becoming residents of the United States.
Museum
The Ellis Island Immigration Museum was inaugurated on September 9, 1990. In it, the local authorities managed to preserve the history of one of the most large-scale periods of the resettlement of people. It is the only attraction in this land area. However, many Americans consider this tourist site sacred, so there are always a lot of visitors. Everyone has the opportunity to look at more than two thousand exhibits, including unique photographs, ship magazines with lists of immigrants, audio recordings with eyewitnesses and others. Many of the Americans come here in search of traces of their ancestors. Among other things, there is a stone slab on which the names of people who arrived on Ellis Island at different times are printed on copper plates . There are 470 such tablets here.
The main idea that the local authorities wanted to convey to all visitors when opening the museum was that any person who works hard and hard can independently achieve great success. This is indeed so, since this island, in fact, has become a symbolic beginning of the embodiment of the American dream for many immigrants.
Interesting Facts
According to one of the local legends, the names of many European immigrants who arrived at different times on Ellis Island were abbreviated, distorted or incorrectly recorded by the immigration center. In this regard, for some Americans it sometimes becomes very difficult to find their ancestors in the lists.
Geographically, the island is closer to the state of New Jersey, however, it belongs to New York. After an artificial increase in the area of Ellis, the authorities of the first of the aforementioned American administrative regions claimed rights to this territory. The Supreme Court, on the fact of the proceedings in this matter, decided that this land area should be simultaneously under the jurisdiction of two states. It is valid in our days.
Many people mistakenly confuse this piece of land in the Hudson River due to a similar name to other pieces of land that bear the names of Gilbert and Ellis. These islands are British property and are located in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. Their total area is 956 square kilometers. They consist of 37 large atolls and islets. The local population does not exceed the mark of 56 thousand people. The local economy is based on the extraction of phosphites, as well as the cultivation of coconut palms and the manufacture of copra. They have nothing to do with the American island of Ellis.
The Immigration Museum is one of the most popular places for tourists coming to New York. Visit it is very simple. Ferries with a fare of $ 17 are sent every 20 minutes. Moreover, during the trip, travelers can see the Statue of Liberty at close range .