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History · Walker

Walker’s post office opened in 1873, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1903 on and the census since 1900.

1873first post office
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Walker began, and where its name came from

When was Walker founded?

1873

The Walker post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 505 in 19002020 census: 688153 years

How did Walker get its name?

Walker was named in honor of W. W. Walker, chief engineer of the railroad.

Founding year: the first Walker post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Walker’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Walker are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19033 editions of the USGS map, 1903 to 1982. Watch Walker change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Walker’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Walker’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Walker on the map, 1903 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Walker. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Walker on the 1903 USGS mapWalker on the 1973 USGS mapWalker on the 1982 USGS map1903Winthrop sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Walker.

The story

How Walker came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Walker.

Read it all →

Walker began as an outgrowth of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway. It was named in honor of W. W. Walker, chief engineer of the railroad.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Walker, 1873 to 1989

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873Post officeThe Walker post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1901Born hereLuella Klein is born here
  5. 1903On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1989Born hereLance Rozeboom is born here
By decade

Walker, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Minnesota Railroad Walker Station2017Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Minnesota Railroad Walk…IAMap-doton-Walker2004IAMap-doton-Walker
Every building

Walker, building by building, 1913

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Walker fire insurance map, 1913, sheet 11913Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Walker, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 791

Between 456 and 791 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Walker’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Walker

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
L
Lance RozeboomAmerican soccer player · b. 1989
L
Luella KleinAmerican obstetrician and gynecologist · b. 1901
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Walker’s post office has been open since 1873.

Gone or out of use
Walkerlocale
1cemetery inside Walker
Sacred Heart

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Walker’s history

What year was Walker founded?

The Walker post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.