Cyrus Walker was the oldest son of the early Oregon Territory missionaries Elkanah and Mary Richardson Walker. He grew up at Tshimakain in the 1830s-40s, where he learned the native Spokane language. After joining the U.S. army during the Civil War and then attempting to make a living as a farmer, he became a teacher at the Warm Springs Indian Agency. These letters, documents and clippings shed light on his experiences as a missionary, a soldier, a pioneer and a teacher at Warm Springs. This collection was donated to Pacific University by Betty Thorne, a descendant of the Walkers.
Portrait of Mary Richardson Walker and her children, posed as a group in front of the Mary and Elkanah Walker Family house in Forest Grove. From left to right, they are: Joseph Elkanah Walker; John R. Walker; Cyrus H. Walker; Mary Richardson Walker (seated); Marcus W. Walker; Abigail Walker Karr; Levi C. Walker; Samuel T. Walker; The Walker Family were among the earliest white residents of the Forest Grove area. Their house was north of the current Walker-Naylor District in Forest Grove.
