Margret Wittmer, Original Settler of Floreana, Galapagos (Deceased)

Dakare, on January 25, 2008, said:

We visited Floreana in 1999 and were thrilled to be lucky enough to meet Margaret Wittmer (89), the last of the original settlers of the island. There are many conflicting stories about the original settlers of Floreana. As we understand it, the first resident(1809)was a marooned Irishman, Patrick Watkins. He eked out his existence for 2 years before being rescued by a whaling ship. We were told that a Swedish settlement was attempted and failed. The animals left behind by that attempt would have dire consequences on subsequent settlers. In 1929, a couple fleeing Nazi Germany, Friedrich Ritter and Dora Strauch arrived on Floreana. Before leaving Germany, they had their teeth removed, and brought one pair of stainless steel dentures with them to share. The concept was that since there would be no dentists on the island, it was best to eliminate the possibility of dental problems (go figure!) In 1932, Heinz and Margaret Wittmer and their son arrived. The same year, 'Baroness' von Wagner Bosquet arrived on the island with her three lovers. All these settlers died or disappeared, leaving Margaret Wittmer, and her offspring, as the sole survivors. It is generally believed that the toothless, Buddhist, vegetarian and atheist Ritters, desperate for food because of a crop failure on the island, ate one of the feral chickens. Being vegetarians, they did not prepare the chicken properly and died from food poisoning. It is also believed that one of the jaded Baroness's lovers did the Baroness and the other two gents in – but it seems no one knows for sure. It was rumored that a tell-all book would be published after Margaret’s death. Margaret Wittmer lived in Floreana with her descendants until her death. We believe that she died about 2 years after our visit. See S/Y Dakare