During my trip out to California, a bunch of us cousins and my sister did a day trip to Angel Island. Angel Island has a lot of historical significance for us as our grandma, Tye Leung Schulze, worked there as an interpreter. With that job she became the first Chinese woman to become a Federal Civil Service Worker.
It was about this time when Tye met her future husband, Charles Schulze, who worked as a guard at Angel Island.
Here’s a link about my grandma:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tye_Leung_Schulze
Angel Island Immigration Station was an immigration station located in San Francisco Bay which operated from January 21, 1910 to November 5, 1940, where immigrants entering the United States were detained and interrogated.
Here’s a link to the Wiki page about Angel Island:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Island_Immigration_Station
Here are some photos from our day:
We passed the Bay Bridge on the way to the Ferry Terminal to pick up my sister from the BART station there.
Waiting to get on the boat out to Angel Island
Passing Alcatraz on the way
We have arrived!
The shortcut to the Barracks
Views from the hike – this is the harbor where the ferry docks to let visitors off at Angel Island
Whew – steep hike up (this is looking down)
They had separate exercise areas for the European Detainees and the Asian Detainees
You can still ring this bell, so I did
Women’s detention barracks (for Chinese and Japanese). Note the 3-level bunk beds. They had something similar to chain link for the base, with a futon-type mattress on top – you can see it in the second photo down.
Women’s “recreation” room
The photos below talk about foot binding. Large feet were considered to be highly unattractive and unacceptable. You can see the x-ray of bound feet, and some shoes too.
Detainees could be held for as long as 2 years, sometimes more. Men would carve poems into the walls, in true calligraphic style, to express their anguish. The translation for this poem is in English below.
Men’s barracks
My grandma worked with Katharine Maurer and my cousin has a picture of the two of them together. Ms Maurer would bring crafts and toiletries to help the women to have something to do while they were detained.
The words in the photo below are in a very informal (almost vulgar) form of German: “Shut the door!”
Processing office
Barracks from the outside
The hospital there is currently being renovated. Angel Island was also used as an army installation
There are a lot of places to hike on the island, and you can also bring your bike and ride around the roads there. It is a beautiful place and if you ever get the chance to go there, you should!
The last ferry out was at 3:40 so, of course, we got on
On the way back to SF the ferry stops first at Tiburon, where we saw a little whale in the harbor (no photos though!)
And then another stop in Sausalito
Another view of Alcatraz
Older building around Fisherman’s Wharf
We had a great dinner at Scoma’s. Scoma’s has been there a long time and is very ‘old school’ – 70’s chairs, waiter wears a towel on his arm. The food was really good and very well prepared too!
Then a photo of some sourdough critters at the Boudin Bakery.
A view of the new lights on the Bay Bridge – passed it on our way home
I know there’s a lot of photos in this post, but I hope you enjoyed it! I have some other photos from this trip that I’ll post when I get them organized.
Until then, dear readers!