Joseph Walker

  General Notes:

"Joseph Walker is said to have been a miller in York County. In 1850 he became interested in the Queen's Bush. He began to explore it on foot and realized the potential of the site that was later to be named after him, i.e. Walkerton. He built a log cabin near the Saugeen River and began the construction of a dam. In 1851 he completed a sawmill, utilizing the power from this dam. By 1853 he had raised capital and completed a grist mill as well. He built himself a substantial stone residence which still exists. He also took title to much of the surrounding land, and had it surveyed and laid out as a town site. For the next few years, Walker was quite prosperous. However, this did not last. In 1858, the country experienced a serious depression, and Walker found himself overextended financially. By 1863, he had to sell off almost all his holdings. To add to his woes, his wife, Jane Pinkerton, died the following year.
Walker never did recoup his losses, but he continued to take a leading part in the affairs of Walkerton. He was deeply involved in the nine year struggle to choose the county town of Bruce and was ultimately successful in having Walkerton achieve that honour in 1867. In this struggle, it is interesting to note that both Pinkerton and Greenock village, at one time or another, were suggested as county town sites. This would seem to have placed Walker at odds with his wife's two brothers, however, there is no record of any animosity in family accounts. Walker went to Manitoulin Island in 1870 to make a fresh start. He established a flour mill but died in 1873, aged 72, without having achieved any great success." - The Pinkertons of Bruce by James E. Connell

  Events

• Anecdote: Founder of Walkerton, Walkerton, Bruce, Ontario, Canada.

Joseph married Jane Pinkerton, daughter of James Pinkerton and Jane, circa 1827. (Jane Pinkerton was born circa 1809 in Ireland and died in 1864 in Walkerton, Bruce, Ontario, Canada.)