KEEPER OF THE LIGHT: A Visit to Angel Island in San Francisco Bay

At the ferry landing at Ayala Cove on Angel Island.

A week ago I visited Angel Island for the first time since my book, Keeper of the Light: Juliet Fish Nichols Fights the San Francisco Fog, was published. It was a beautiful day and the ferry from Tiburon was crowded with people going to Angel Island for a day of hiking, biking and enjoying the out-of-doors in the state park.

In 1906, when Juliet Nichols was the keeper, the Angel Island Lighthouse stood on the rocky point between Camp Reynolds and Perle's Beach. (Yellow X)

On all my previous visits to the island I had focused my attention on the southwest side of the island where the Angel Island lighthouse had been located and where the story of my book takes place. But this time I wanted to visit the former Immigration Center on the other side of the island, where thousands of immigrants, mostly from China, had been detained between 1910, when it was built, and 1940, when it was closed after the main administration building burned down.

Fog bell at the Immigration Station Memorial.

I discovered that the Immigration Station had a giant fog bell, much like the one Juliet Nichols rang on that foggy night in 1906. Unlike Juliet’s bell, still in place on the rock where the bell house once stood but now inaccessible, the Immigration Station bell is now part of a memorial to the immigrants who once came to the island. It has a clapper, which you can swing to make the bell ring.

With Casey Dexter Lee in the Detention Barracks at the Immigration Station.

During my visit I finally got to meet Casey Dexter Lee in person, who had been so helpful with my research for my book. It was a pleasure to talk with her and learn more about Angel Island’s history. Casey is the Education officer of the island.

In the Kiosk gift shop.

Before we caught the ferry back to Tiburon, I visited the kiosk gift shop near the dock, where I was pleased to see Keeper of the Light displayed. All profits go to support the Angel Island Conservancy.

Click HERE for information about visiting Angel Island State Park.

The Immigration Station is a National Historical Landmark.