Ellis Island Opened on New Years Day 1892: A Look Back

Co-authored with Jairo Flores, who conducted much of the research and writing for this article. Visit AustinKocher.com for more short articles about the current state of the US immigration system.

Today marks 129 years since the opening of Ellis Island. Ellis Island opened on New Years Day in 1892. As an immigration researcher, Ellis Island looms large in America’s history of immigration, serving both as a symbol of how much our country has been shaped by immigration while also hiding many of the abuses and exclusionary policies that remain in place today.

I’ll be posting lots of interesting information about Ellis Island on January 1, 2021. Follow along on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Ellis Island got its name from Samuel Ellis. In the 1770’s, Samuel Ellis bought Oyster Island and named it after his family. After his passing, the family sold it to the Federal Government to use as a fort on the condition that the name remained, and it eventually became the historical immigration center, Ellis Island. Interestingly, the island was originally used as an execution site for pirates.

Opening its doors in 1892, Ellis Island served as an immigration station and had millions of immigrants pass through as new US citizens. Today, it is estimated that nearly 40% of all Americans…