Timeline

1775 - Angel Island's rich history dates back to a time when the Miwok Native American tribe inhabited what is now Marin County. The Miwok's resided on the land for thousands of years before the Spanish laid claim to the island in 1775.

1814 - Angel Island California State Park in San Francisco Bay. Ref. California State Parks Angel Island. In 1814, the British, 26-gun, sloop of war, the HMS Raccoon, was damaged off the coast.

Sep 12, 1863 - On Sunday. September 12, 1863, the United States took possession ofAngel island as a military station by Company B, Third Artillery, under the command of Lieutenant John L. Tierson, who Landed with his company on the western extremity of the island.

Mar 26, 1886 - The Alcatraz cable was for1 the third time broken by an. anchor, making it evident that a direct cable between Alcatraz and the mainland cannot be maintained.

Mar 11, 1900 - Angel Island, Cal., March 11, 1900. Completed examination specimens dead Chinese demonstrates plague. No further history obtainable. Board health with Gassaway had meeting here to-day. Kinyodn.

1910 - In 1910, US authorities set up an immigrant detention center on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay to examine Chinese and other Asians seeking to enter the United States.

Oct 5, 1939 - As Marvin H. Riehl remembers, "I enlisted in the US Army on 5 October 1939, at Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay. The following day I was assigned to the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron at Hamilton Field. We were using aircraft.

1940 - The United States abandoned the detention center on Angel Island in 1940, when "Chinese Exclusion Acts" were repealed and a fire destroyed the administration building. A museum has been established in the old detention center, so visitors can see what life was.

Jun 14, 1962 - A waterproof package, apparently made of Inmate raincoat material and containing names, addresses, photographs and personal property identifiable with the brothers was picked up in San Francisco Bay between Angel island and Alcatraz.

Oct 12, 2008 - On October 12, 2008, Angel Island was ravaged by a wildfire. In just 2 days, 303 acres went up in smoke.

By Devon Douglass