Ellis Island Within the shadow of the Statue of Liberty lies Ellis Island, the immigration center for the Port of New York, between 1892 and 1954. While Bartholdi's soaring statue was a world famous symbol of liberty and opportunity, the sight of Ellis Island and it's low-lying buildings also encouraged hope in the hearts and minds of the immigrant. The Native Americans named the small island in the harbor "Kilshk" or Gull Island. Gull Island was more than a three-acre sand bank of mud and clay. Gull Island's first European owner was the patroon, Mynher Michael Paauw. Earlier the island had been purchased from the Indians by the governor of New Amsterdam on July 12, 1634 for certain c