The Galápagos Islands - Adventure Guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - page 386

The Famous Islands
The Galápagos Islands, over the course of a few hundred
years, became some of the most famous islands on earth.
They were referred to as enchanted, magical and even as
haunted, partly because of the thick fog that often enshroud
them. This was enhanced by the presence of pirates using
the islands as a base for their exploits.The islands inspired
Herman Melville in his Benito Serreno and Las
Encantadas , both short stories within the collection, The
Piazza Tales . By the time the first permanent settlers ar-
rived, the Galápagos was hosting famous visitors and ad-
venturers from across the globe.
Floreana became the first permanently inhabited island. The first
occupant, a lone Irishman named PatrickWatkins , survived a brief
occupancy beginning in 1807 after being expelled from his ship,
though he lasted only two years before escaping back to themainland.
Shortly after Ecuador officially claimed the islands in 1832, they be-
came home to Ecuadorian prisoners, guarded in a penal colony by
General José Villamil . Eventually, Villamil was unable to main-
tain control over the prisoners, who mutinied. Several attempts were
made to keep prisoners on Floreana over the years, but the extremely
harsh living conditions on the islands forced most everyone away un-
til continuous contact could be made with the mainland.
In 1929 aGerman doctor and his “disciple” left behind civilization and
escaped to Floreana to live with the elements. Shortly thereafter,
Heinz and Margret Wittmer , also from Germany and also hoping
to start life anew, with their ailing son Harry, arrived in 1932. Along
with a delusional baroness from Austria and her “workmen,” this
small community offered the beginning of Floreana's first continuous
settlement. Others arrived shortly thereafter and the island became
a brief port of call for luxury vessels. But, after all was said and done,
only the Wittmers survived, and they are there to this day (see
Floreana Island , page 413, for more).
At the same time as these settlers were making a home of Floreana,
another settlement was growing on San Cristóbal Island ,inmod-
ern-day Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, which was then and remains to-
day the capital of the province of the Galápagos Islands and the seat
of the provincial governor. Though the US and European countries
vied for control over the islands as early asWorldWar I, Ecuador kept