From 1892 to 1954, Ellis Island was the gateway to a new life in the US for millions of immigrants. In later years, the island was deserted, the buildings decaying. It was not restored until the 1980s, when Americans from all over the country donated more than $150 million. It opened to the public in 1990 as a museum. Learn more about America's history, and perhaps even your own, through the history of one of the most popular landmarks in the country.