Margaret Voss Krenkel

Margaret Voss Schmidt Krenkel (1876-c.1960), known as “Mother Krenkel,” was a beloved figure of the Big Sur coast who lived in the Los Burros Mining District for over half a century.

EARLY LIFE: Born in San Francisco “among the sand dunes near the Barbary Coast” to German immigrant parents. Her father Carsten Voss ran a hotel, and her mother Charlotte Schlicting had been a nurse in England before emigrating. The family later moved to a homestead near Pleyto for health reasons.

FIRST MARRIAGE: Married a man named Schmidt and had a daughter, Margery, before being widowed.

MEETING JIM KRENKEL: While working for the Heinsen family near Lockwood, the miner Jim Krenkel came calling. When told to walk him to the gate, she was “astonished to hear him make an offer of marriage.” She asked for time to think.

JOURNEY TO LOS BURROS: In 1901, Margaret traveled to Los Burros with a party including the Patterson family. She rode over the Old Mail Trail through cool canyons and chaparral-covered ridges to the coast. When she saw Jim’s neat cabin with its orchard, vineyard, and flowers, she accepted his proposal.

MARRIAGE: Married James M. Krenkel on June 23, 1902 in San Luis Obispo. Rode to her new home on a mule named “Gabe.”

LIFE IN LOS BURROS: Cooked for miners working at the Buclimo Mine. Raised eight children: Bill, Jim Jr., Charley, Doreen, Hally (Hal), Howard (“Tuck”), Dorothy (died at 10 months), and Lillian. Also raised stepdaughter Margery.

THE KRENKEL SCHOOL: When no school was available, the guest room of their home was converted to a schoolroom with a partition for the teacher’s lodging. Teachers included Miss Jessie Anderson, Mrs. Wimmer, Miss Susan Bird, Mrs. Lawhead, and Mrs. White.

POETRY: Composed verse for the 1937 Coast Highway dedication ceremony at Lime Kiln. Her poem honored the pioneers who had traveled the old Coast Trail before the highway was built.

TRAGEDY: Lost son Jim Jr. in 1937 when he was shot by a troubled neighbor, Ernest Bauman, who was strangely acquitted. Jim died at age 32 and was buried at Cambria.

WIDOWHOOD: After Jim Krenkel died in 1943 at age 81, she continued living in her mountain home, surrounded by visits from her children. Suffered a stroke in 1959 but retained her remarkable memory and alert mind.

DEATH: Died May 9, 1964. Buried at Cambria Cemetery, San Luis Obispo County, California, Plot 14-44.