Waiting room at Ellis Island, 1907 Tiny Ellis Island was named for Samuel Ellis, a New York land developer who bought it in 1782. His heirs sold it to New York State in 1808, and New York turned it over to the federal government, which built a fort on the rocky plot of land. On January 1, 1892, this little island became home to a new immigration station Ð one which would eventually become the most important immigration station in United States history. Five years later, all of the buildings on Ellis Island burned down. On December 17, 1900, a new fireproof, brick and stone facility was built. It was big -- enough to handle half a million immigrants annually Ð but, as it turned out, it wasn't big enough. In 1907, its peak year, Ellis Island processed over 1.2 million immigrants. By 1924, over 16 million immigrants had entered the United States here -- 71 percent of all those arriving in total. By 1954, when it closed for good, over 40 million immigrants had passed through its gates. Today, 100 million Americans -- roughly 40 percent of the population -- can trace their roots through ancestors who came through this 27 1/2 acre island! Illustration: Courtesy of Culver Pictures.
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