Incredible Photos Of Immigrants Arriving At Ellis Island

Station Fire

When Ellis Island officially opened to immigrants on Jan. 1, 1892, 700 people from three large ships arrived. In the first year alone, nearly 450,000 immigrants were processed at the station. Just five years later there was a huge fire at the station, possibly due to faulty wiring. No one died, but the wooden structures were decimated.

While the new building was under construction, immigrants were processed at the Barge Office nearby at the Battery. The new facility opened in December 1900 but barely managed to handle the flood of immigrants, even though the dining hall could accommodate 1,000 people.