Near Tiburon in Marin County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

The Wharf

碼頭

— First Steps on U.S. Soil —

The Wharf Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, July 30, 2022

1. The Wharf Marker

Inscription. After a long ocean voyage, an immigrant’s first steps on U.S. soil was on a wharf leading to this Immigration Station. They were soon immersed in unfamiliar surroundings, a foreign language, new customs and an uncertain fate.

”It was a tough trip. I was only twelve and I was living with the rest of the people, hundreds of them down in the freight hole. The beds were stacked up two high.”
John F. Louie, at Angel Island, 1936

[Chinese text not transcribed]

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Parks & Recreational Areas.

Location. 37° 52.215′ N, 122° 25.585′ W. Marker is near Tiburon, California, in Marin County. It can be reached from North Ridge Trail. Angel Island is located north of Alcatraz Island and is the largest island in the San Francisco Bay. It is accessed by ferry, private boat, watercraft, or kayak. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Belvedere Tiburon CA 94920, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area,

in the North

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Coast,

and specifically on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Arrivals from Around the World (here, next to this marker); Angel Island Immigration Station (here, next to this marker); First Occupants of the Cove (a few steps from this marker); Registration and Screening (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Angel Island Immigration Station (within shouting distance of this marker); Immigrations Hearings (within shouting distance of this marker); Central Heating Plant (within shouting distance of this marker); Immigration Station Staff (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tiburon.

More about this marker. The black granite marker is mounted to a gray granite stand next to the bell at China Cove.

Regarding The Wharf. The

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, July 30, 2022

2. The Wharf Marker

entire island is a state park, except for Point Blunt on the southeastern tip, which is controlled by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The bell and China Cove image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, July 30, 2022

3. The bell and China Cove

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, July 30, 2022

4. The Bell

W.T. Garratt & Co., San Francisco, Calif., 1910
U.S. Immigration Station,
Angel Island, Cal.
1910.

Angel Island image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, July 30, 2022

5. Angel Island

North side as seen from a departing ferry

Credits. This page was last revised on December 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 9, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 304 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 9, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. 5. submitted on August 11, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.