Immigration

Many people coming to the United States from other lands entered through this depot. By 1881, more than 77,000 immigrants first stepped foot on American soil here. Port Huron folks gathered here to see and hear the new arrivals, fascinated by their different clothes and foreign speech. Young Tom Edison is said to have peddled his candy and fresh vegetables here, to townspeople and foreigners alike.
The immigrants were taken to nearby Fort Gratiot, where they were disinfected, served meals of bread and soup, and temporarily housed in long sheds. Some of these immigrants settled in the Port Huron area, while others continued on to build new lives in America's young cities, farmlands and Western frontier.