Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Ellis Island
The immigration station at Ellis Island opened January 1, 1892. More than twelve million immigrants passed through the island's immigration station between 1892 and 1954. The most came through in 1907. There are estimates that forty percent of people in the United States today had an ancestor that went through Ellis Island.
Ellis Island was first called Gull Island by Native Americans. At that time, gulls were the only things that lived on it. It was very small, about three acres. The island was made of soft mud. It was so small that it was barely above the water during high tide. Because it wasn't good for much, it was sold many times.
About 1776, Samuel Ellis became the owner of the island. He tried to sell the island and couldn't. Before he died, he tried to give the island to the state. He died before the paperwork was finished.
In 1794, New York leased the island. They thought it was a good place to build a fort. In 1808, New York bought the island for ten thousand dollars. That was a lot of money for an island that wasn't usable. The federal government gave back the money to New York when they took control of the island on the same day. A fort was built on the island. It was rarely used, and the military did not have a lot of interest in it.
