Walker County Texas maps, history, cities, towns, travel and more. (original) (raw)
Texas | Counties 30� 44' 24" N, 95� 34' 12" W (30.74, -95.57)
Population: 72,480 Est. (2018) 67,861 (2010)
Total area: 802 square miles (2,080 km2)
784 square miles (2,030 km2) land
17 square miles (44 km2) water
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Walker County History
Historical marker: (on courthouse grounds)
Walker County
The earliest known inhabitants of this area were the Cenis and Bidai (Bedias) Indians. Spanish explorers began to arrive in 1542, followed by the French in 1687. The area was thinly populated by Spanish and Mexican settlers until the early 1830s when colonists came from the United States. Brothers Pleasant and Ephraim Gray established a trading post near this site about 1835 or 1836, naming it for their home in Huntsville, Alabama.
The region was included in neighboring counties until Walker County was created by the First Legislature of the State of Texas in 1846; it was named for U. S. Senator Robert J. Walker, who introduced legislation for Texas' annexation.
The state penitentiary was established at Huntsville in 1849. Agricultural products, primarily cotton, were shipped out by steamboat from the late 1840s. When the Civil War began, R. J. Walker declined to support the Confederacy. The Texas Legislature renamed the county in 1863 for Texas Ranger Samuel H. Walker. Martial law was declared in the county for 60 days in 1871 because of Reconstruction-era racial violence.
With the arrival of the railroads in the 1870s, depot towns flourished. Huntsville narrowly avoided the fate of other towns bypassed by the railroads when residents hurriedly raised funds to build a spur. Cotton never regained its pre-Civil War stature, and lumber and livestock became important businesses in the 20th century.
The heritage of Walker County, from Native Americans to frontier settlers and U. S. Citizens, is one of independent spirit and determination.
(1999)
Walker County Town List
Cities, Towns & Ghost Towns: History, attractions, landmarks, architecture, monuments, museums, cemeteries, bridges, parks, vintage & contemporary images, area destinations, hotels, and forum.
County Seat - Huntsville
Book Hotel Here - Huntsville Hotels
Walker County Vintage Maps
Walker County 1851 Map
Courtesy Texas General Land Office
Walker County 1867 Map
Courtesy Texas General Land Office
From 1907 Texas state map #2090 showing Walker County
Courtesy Texas General Land Office
From 1920 Texas state map #10749 showing Walker County
Courtesy Texas General Land Office
From 1940 Texas state map #4335 showing Walker County
Courtesy Texas General Land Office
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