Walker, Joseph Reddeford

Walker, Joseph Reddeford

(1789–1876) explorer, trapper, guide; born in Virginia. He engaged in extensive fur trapping and trading in the upper Missouri region (1820–40), giving his name to Walker Lake and Walker's Pass. He served as a guide for several exploratory expeditions between 1832 and 1860. He guided prospectors during the 1849 Gold Rush and settled in California, but in 1861 he set out for Arizona on the final expedition of his long career, discovering rich ore deposits near what is now Prescott.