Page 85 - Poat_to_Poot_Engels

wondered if it was made of gold. While the passengers looked in wonder
at the statue, the crowded harbor and tall buildings, landing barges came
to the ship. Customs inspectors began examining luggage and cargo.
All of the steerage passengers and selected others were now removed to
the barges and taken for processing at Castle Garden (now called Battery
Park) in New York. Ellis Island did not begin processing immigrants until
1892. The ship then advanced another 2 miles to dock at the Holland
American Line facilities in Hoboken on the New Jersey shore opposite
Manhattan Island. Since the Poots were first class passengers and had a
destination, they were not processed through any immigration facility.

Many immigrants who were headed to Midwestern states, such as
Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin, transferred to steamships that would
sail through the Great Lakes. However, the Holland America Line made
complete "modern" travel packages that put their passengers onto trains
to their final destinations. The Poots traveled by steam locomotives to
Michigan. Willem said this was a long and tedious trip. He believed that
it took not less than four days to reach Kalamazoo. The boat docks were
located in New Jersey, across the river from Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Multiple rail lines and railroad offices were located directly in front of the
Holland American Line facilities. Here the Poots may have boarded the
New York and Erie Railroad, then proceeded on through Binghamton to
Buffalo. They would then change trains onto the Great Western Railroad
to Detroit. Finally, they would have traveled on the Michigan Central
Railroad to Kalamazoo. The actual rail travel time was probably less, but
there would have been several stops and switching trains would have
added delays along the journey. Willem found the Pullman sleeping cars
quite fascinating.

The train station the Poots arrived at in Kalamazoo may have been the
quaint gothic style building erected in 1853. A large new train station,
which is still in use, was just completed, but may not have been opened
for use until October or November of 1887. Their long trip was easy
compared to that of the early Dutch pioneers of 1847. Reverend Van
Raalte and his followers traveled for many weeks to get to Michigan from
New York by ox wagon!

- Coming to America - page 5 -