Back to Finding Aids
Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections Pullman, WA 99164-5610 USA (509) 335-6691 Inquiries

The papers of Elkanah and Mary Richardson Walker were acquired by gift and purchase from members of the Family: S.T. Walker, Ruth Karr McKee, Eunice V. Karr, Elda R. Walker, Leva B. Walker, Josephine Claghorn Walker, Herbert J. Gilkey and Nellie M. Walker; and from Dr. C.M. Drury. Much of the Collection was acquired through the efforts of Dr. Drury in researching the lives of the missionaries. These materials were acquired by Washington State University Library between 1935 and 1966.

In addition to manuscripts the Washington State University Library has received a large collection of books owned and used by the Walkers. These books are now cataloged and a web site devoted to the library may be found on the MASC site.

These papers were extensively used by Dr. Clifford M. Drury in the preparation of his book Elkanah and Mary Walker; pioneers among the Spokanes. (Caldwell, Caxton, 1945. 283 p. illus.) Portions were also edited and used by Ruth Karr McKee, a grand-daughter of the Walkers, in Mary Richardson Walker: her book. (Caldwell, Caxton, 1945. 357 p. illus.)

Dr. Drury described this collection in the Oregon Historical Quarterly 42(September, 1941) 269-271.

Additional materials on the Walkers may be found at the Whitman National Monument Collections, Walla Walla (NUCMC 61-1597); at the University of Oregon Library (Schmitt); Yale University Library (Washington); the Oregon Historical Society Manuscript Collections; at the Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, California (NUCMC 61-2207); and in the papers of C.M. Drury at the Eastern Washington State Historical Society, Spokane (NUCMC 61-1109). The archives of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions are now in the Houghton Library, Harvard University (NUCMC 61-1964).

ELKANAH AND MARY WALKER

When Elkanah Walker (1805-1877) was a senior at the Bangor (Maine) Theological Seminary in 1836 he was planning a mission career among the Maritime Zoolaks of South Africa. He was told that it would perhaps be better for him to be married before undertaking such a mission. At the same time Mary Richardson (1811-1897) of Baldwin, Maine, was told that she too must be married to become a missionary. The result was a whirlwind courtship and marriage which did not go to South Africa but the equally distant and primitive Oregon Mission. Eventually settling at Tshimakain on Walker's Prairie near Spokane they ministered to the Spokane Indians and their fellow missionaries: Marcus Whitman, Cushing Eells, Henry H. Spalding and William H. Gray and their wives. After Whitman's murder in 1847 the Walker's moved to Fort Colville for nearly three months and then spent the remainder of their days in the Willamette Valley. Here they helped establish the Congregational Association of Oregon City and Tualatin Academy (now Pacific University) at Forest Grove.

DESCRIPTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE PAPERS

The papers of the Walkers can be divided into three groups: the manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, documents and other papers of the Walkers and their family; photocopies of Walker papers from the files of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and from the Huntington Library, as well as from the papers at Washington State University; and typescript transcripts of the documents and photocopies.

The original papers of Elkanah and Mary Walker consist of their correspondence, diaries, autograph albums, essays and photographs. In addition there is some correspondence and reminiscences of their children. The extensive correspondence file, while mostly incoming, is very complete for the earlier school days, their courtship and marriage, and their missionary experiences. There is very little regarding their life in the Willamette Valley. Perhaps the largest body of material is family letters from relatives in New England.

In addition there is an extensive run of the diaries of Mary Richardson Walker from 1833-1878, except for the two volumes which are now in the Huntington Library. There is also a volume of Elkanah Walker's diary, 1854-1857, which is primarily a register of ministerial services.

Both of the Walkers maintained autograph albums which were also used in the manner of a guest book while at Tshimakain. Other papers include Elkanah's theological notes made as a student, Mary's essay on the Discouragements & Consolations of missionaries written in 1837, constitutions of Maternal Associations, Elkanah's translation of the Book of Matthew into the Flathead or Spokane language, and Mary's drawings and paintings of botanical subjects.

Sons Joseph and Samuel wrote accounts of their parents which are in the collection, as is a portion of son Levi's scrapbook of clippings. The photographs are mostly portraits of the Walkers and their family.

Rounding out the gaps in the collection are photocopies of the material from the Huntington Library, San Marino, California, and the archives of the American Board of Commissioners of Foreign Missions, now in the Houghton Library, Harvard University. These include additional diaries and correspondence. A large part of the photocopies are of original material in the Washington State University Library.

The preliminary processing of the collection in the early forties included the preparation of typescripts of nearly all the manuscript and photocopy material in the collection. Much of this was bound and includes the diaries, the correspondence between the Walker's and the ABCFM, and the correspondence between Elkanah and Mary. Other transcripts, now in chronological order, were also made.

Additional material considered part of the collection is John Mix Stanley's portrait in oil of Abigail B. Walker, C.A. Geyer's sketch of Tshimakain, a pencil sketch of Mary Walker, and a photograph portrait of Samuel T. Walker, in the oversize cases.

Container	Folder	Series
		Series 1: Manuscripts and papers, 1830-1966. 750 items
1-2	1-19	A. Correspondence, 1830-1940. Approx. 650 items.
3	20-28	B. Diaries, 1833-1878. 14 items.
3	29-30	C. Autograph albums, 1832-1892. 2 v.
3	31-35	D. Essays and notes, 1836-1846. 19 items
4	36-43	E. Miscellaneous items, reminiscences, letters, photographs, clippings, etc., 1840-1966. ca. 200 items
		Series 2: Photocopies. approx. 225 items.
4	44-48	A. Huntington Library. 8 items
5	49	B. American Board of Commissioners for Foriegn Missions. 17 items
5	50	C. Indian Office. 1 item
5	51-55	D. Washington State University Library. Approx. 200 items.
6-7	56-65	Series 3: Typescript transcripts. 120 items.

Container	Folder	Descriptions	Items
		Correspondence, 1830-1934
1	1	n.d.	11
	2	1830-1831	21
	3	1832	22
	4	1833	27
	5	1834	33
	6	1835	47
	7	1836	47
	8	Jan-Jun, 1837	42
	9	Jul-Dec, 1837	33
	10	1838	36
2	11	1839	25
	12	1840-1845	37
	13	1846-1848	28
	14	1849-1851	37
	15	1852-1854	32
	16	1855-1859	27
	17	1860-1869	32
	18	1870-1879	37
	19	1880-1934	10
		Diaries of Mary Walker:
3	20	January 1, 1833-May 6, 1837. 1 v.
	21	December 20, 1848-September 9, 1849. 14 l.
	22	May 16, 1851-February 23, 1852. 13 l.
	23	March 2, 1852-April 9, 1854. 24 l.
	24	April 10, 1854-October 24, 1855. 16 l.
	25	February 15, 1859-August 1, 1861. 12 l.
	26	1871-1874. 4 v.
	27	1876-1878. 3 v.
	28	Diary and accounts of Elkanah Walker, November, 1854-November, 1857. 1 v.
	29	Autpograph album of Elkanah Walker, 1837-1853. 1 v.
	30	Autograph album of Mary R. Walker, 1832-1892. 1 v.
	31	E. Walker. Theological studies and notes, ca. 1836-1838. 26 items.
	32	M.R. Walker. The discouragements & consoltations of missionaries; or the bitter and the sweet (an address) October, 1837. 4 l.
	33	Constitution of the Willamette Falls Maternal Association, n.d. 2 l.
	33	Constituiton of the Lynn and Oregon City Maternal Association, n.d. 2 l.
	34	Bible. New Testament. Matthew. Flathead. Translated by E. Walker, 1846. 2 l. ms.
	35	M Walker. Drawings and paintings, some dated 1832. 14 items.
4	36	Joseph Elkanah Walker. A sketch of the lives of Rev. Elkanah Walker and Mary Richardson Walker, n.d. 19 l .ms. 21 l. ms.
	37	Joseph Elkanah Walker. Pedigrees, Walker, Richardson, Thompson, Hay, Boutwell, Kendall, ca. 1910. with foreward and additional notes by Herbert J, Gilkey, ca. 1968 32 l. ms. notebook
	38	Photographs
		1. Elkanah Walker, ca. 1855? 1 copy negative (2 images) 12 x 18 cm. 1 copy photoprint. 11 x 8.5 cm.
		2. Mary Richardson Walker (photo by Bowers, Lynn, Mass. Taken Sept 27, 1871) 1 copy negative (2 images) 12 x 18 cm. 1 copy photoprint. 11 x 8.5 cm.
		3. Mary and Elkanah Walker, ca. 1855 1 copy negative (2 images) 12 x 18 cm. 1 copy photoprint. 11 x 8.5 cm.
		4. Marcus W. Walker and Samuel T. Walker, 1855 by D.G. Hendee, Milwaukee, Oregon 1 copy negative (2 images) 12 x 18 cm. 1 copy photoprint. 11 x 8.5 cm.
		5. Joseph Richardson, ca. 1840? 1 copy negative (2 images) 12 x 18 cm. 1 copy photoprint. 11 x 8.5 cm.
		6. Samuel, Levi, Joseph and Cyrus Walker, September 2, 1907, Forest Grove. 1 photoprint, mounted. 14 x 23 cm. 1 copy negative. 10 x 12.5 cm. 1 copy photoprint. 12 x 17.5 cm. 1 copy negative. 12.5 x 17.5 cm.
		7. James A. Karr, September 14, 1913. 1 photolithograph. 24.5 x 17 cm. 1 copy negative. 10 x 12.5 cm.
		8. Abigail B. Karr, September 14, 1913. 1 photolithograph. 24.5 x 17 cm. 1 copy negative. 10 x 12.5 cm.
		9. Jannetta M. Walker, Foochow, China, October, 1873. 1 photoprint. 10 x 6 cm.
		10. Geyer drawing of Tshimakain Mission, 1843. 1 negative. 10 x 12.5 cm. 2 photoprints. 12 x 18 cm., 10 x 12.5 cm.
		11. Samuel T. Walker, ca. 1939. 1 photoprint (mounted) 17 x 12 cm.
		12. Walker Family: Mary, Cyrus, Abigail, Marcus, Joseph, John, Levi, and Samuel on lawn in front of first frame house in Forest Grove, ca. 1896 1 photoprint (mounted) 16 x 23.5 cm. 1 copy photoprint. 10 x 12.5 cm.
		13. Four Generations: Mary, Abigail, Olive and Wilna, ca. 1891 1 photoprint. 23 x 17.5 cm. 1 copy negative. 10 x 12.5 cm. 1 copy photoprint. 19 x 23.5 cm. 1 copy negative. 25 x 20 cm.
		14. Mary Walker's trunk, ca. 1936 1 photoprint. 25.5 x 31 cm.
		15. Mary Walker's trunk and briefcase, ca. 1936. 1 photoprint. 25.5 x 27.5 cm. 1 photoprint (mounted) 19 x 24 cm.
	39	Clippings re: Tshimakain Centennial Celebration, September 18, 1938, Chewelah, Washington. 5 items.
	40	Levi C. Walker scrapbook: clippings and other papers re: missionary work in Oregon and China, 1887-1908. 20 items.
	41	Samuel T. Walker. (Reminiscences, ca. 1935) 11 l. ms.
	42	First Congregational Church of Christ in Baldwin and the "Emerson Meeting-House." ca. 1936 5 p. typescript (carbon)
	43	Donor File and container list, 1935-1966. approx. 150 items.
	44	Elkanah Walker. Journal to the Rocky Mountains, 1838. 18 l. photocopy (Huntington Library)
	45	Elkanah Walker. Diary, June 3-October 13, 1848. 13 l. photocopy. (Huntington Library)
	46	Mary Richardson Walker. Diary, May 9, 1837-March 5, 1838 4 l. photocopy. (Huntington Library)
	47	Mary Richardson Walker. Diary, September 30-November 11, 1848. 4 l. photocopy. (Huntington Library)
	48	Letters, 1840-1843, to Elkanah Walker, from P.C. Pambrun, A.B. Smith and David Greene. 3 items photocopy. (Huntington Library)
5	49	American Board of Commissioners for Foriegn Missions Correspondence received, 1836-1842. 17 items photocopy. Letters from E. Walker, M.R. Walker and others in favor of their going on the mission to Oregon; and the authorization by the Oregon Mission for Whitman to return to the U.S., 1842.
	50	E. Walker and C. Eells, Letter, January 9, 1843, Cimakain, to Elijah White, sub-agent, Indian Office re: Spokane Indians. Also white's explanatory note and statement: "This is a true copy. E. White" 3 l. photocopy.
	51-55	Photocopies of Walker Mission material in the Washington State University Library. approx. 200 items.
6	56	Journal of Mary Richardson Walker, January 1, 1833-May 6, 1837. 78 p. bound, typescript.
	57	Journal of Mary Richardson Walker, March 5, 1838-October 1, 1848. 293 p. bound, plus 4 p. index, typescript
	58	Journal of Mary Richardson Walker, September 30, 1848-January 1, 1879. 308 p., 6 p. index, bound, typescript.
	59	Letters concerning Elkanah and Mary Richardson Walker and American Board of Commissioners for Foriegn Missions, 1836-1859. State College of Washington, 1941. approx. 200 p. bound transcript.
7	60	Letters between Elkanah Walker and Mary Richardson Walker, 1837-1873. State College of Washington, 1940. 216 p. bound typescript.
	61	Walker family correspondence, obituaries and geneology, 1917-1921. 34 l. bound typescript.
	62-63	Diary of Mary Richardson Walker, 1838-1848. Transcription by C.M. Drury, 1960. 331 p. typescript.
		Letters, diaries, essays, notebooks and other papers connected with the Walker Mission, 1821-1885.
	64	1821-1838. 64 items, typescript.
	65	1839-1885. 42 items, typescript.
8		Oversized Box