August Wenzel was born at, or near, Essen, Province of Westphalia, Kingdom of Prussia, Germany.

On March 19, 1883, at Chicago, Illinois, he married Maria Seraphin Repko. August and Maria met on board the ship Generel Werder during their voyage from Bremen, Germany to America, entering the Port of New York City on February 24, 1880. Between them they had eight children.

He was a powerful swimmer, having swum across the Rhine River as a boy and across Lake Union in Seattle as a man. Between the age of 14 and 16 he learned the blacksmith trade. At 18 he joined the Prussian Army, spending one year in heavy artillery and two years as a hospital intern. After which he went to Bremen, Germany, where he met a Catholic Priest who over the next year taught him how to read and write English.

In New York City he studied medicine and worked as an intern at a hospital. After their marriage he and Maria migrated by train to Portland, Oregon, thence north to Vancouver Island, where he worked as a coal miner. While living at Wellington, August's first child died, and is buried at Nanaimo. In May 1888 August moved his family to Seattle, were he opened a blacksmith and cooper shop located between 4th and 5th on Pike Street. Next door to the blacksmith shop he owned a wagon works shop and next to that a meat market. In 1895 the address of the blacksmith shop became 1427 7th Street. Around 1896 August started a brewery on Fairview Avenue North, brewing steam and stout beers. He sold this to the Alvin Hemerich Brewing Company, later known as Hemerich Brothers Brewery, Seattle Brewing and Malting Company, and later becoming the Rainier Brewery. The family home was located at the west side of Moltke. After several address changes it eventually became 423 Boren Avenue North.

The great Seattle fire of June 6, 1889, which destroyed 116 acres of the downtown area of the city, didn't touch any property owned by August, but it did destroy a number of businesses of other people who he had loaned money. Thus he did loose financially.

August signed his Petition of Naturalization on April 7, 1891, his Declaration of Intention on February 13, 1892, becoming a naturalized citizen on February 20, 1894.

When gold was discovered in the Yukon, August became one of the original "Sourdough" miners joining the Klondike Stampede of 1897-1898. He and a partner sailed from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska, arriving in August 1897. From here they traveled to Skagway, crossing the dangerous Chilkoot Pass. On the other side of the Pass August and his partner waited for the ice to brake-up on Lake Bennett, and traveled up the Yukon River to Dawson City and the Klondike gold fields in a collapsible boat they designed. In these early days at Dawson August was one of the only recognized medically knowledgeable persons in the area, and was called on many times to set broken bones and recommend medicines. August and his partner struck a gold pocket of large nuggets, worth over $10,000 at the time. From about 1898 to 1902 he was a mining superintendent at Juneau, Alaska. He invented a cold-water thawing drill bit used in hydraulic drilling. He also invented a steam drill bit. But neglected to take out any patents.

In 1900 August moved his family to the north side of Lake Union. He bought a two-story, six-room house, with indoor plumbing.

Gold was discovered at Fairbanks, Alaska in 1902 and August migrated there. Here he owned a house and blacksmith shop, plus a ranch 40 miles away along the banks of the Chena River. He mined for gold, trapped, and was a part owner of the largest hotel in Fairbanks.

After Maria's death August spent most of his time in Alaska. His son Stephen joined him in 1915. His daughter Mary and her family joined him in 1923. They lived along the Tanana River, where they raised silver foxes and mink. Then went into fishing, which became very lucrative. They dried the meat and shipped it up river to Nome to be used as dog food. They designed a fish wheel that was capable of catching up to 200 fish per day. He also continued to pan for gold, accumulating a large stash he hid in his woodpile.

In 1944 August returned to Seattle to live out the rest of his life, living with his daughter Kathryn Hinterberger.