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The Visalia Stock Saddle Company saw its beginning in the year of 1870
with David E. Walker better known as D. E. Walker. The Visalia Style
Stock Saddle was the invention of Juan Maratrel who created the very
first Visalia Stock Saddle Tree, and D. E. Walker having been a saddle
maker bought Juan Maratrel’s shop in 1870.
After the purchase D. E. Walker continued to have these saddle trees
made with Ricardo Mattley exclusively for the next 20+ years for the
Visalia Stock Saddle Company. At the time D. E. Walker bought the
shop from Juan Maratrel he had a partner named Henry Shuham and from
1870 through 1877 the men ran the Visalia Stock Saddle Company as a
partnership.
It appears between the years of 1877 and 1879 D. E. Walker had his own
Saddlery and Harness Company in Visalia, CA where he continued to
produce a Visalia Stock Style Saddle. By 1879 D. E. Walker had bought
all of the interests in the Visalia Stock Saddle Company from Henry
Shuham, and continued to run the Company as the sole owner until 1887
when he sells half of the business to Wade and at that time the
business was moved from Visalia, CA to San Francisco, CA. In 1892
Wade sells his half of the business due to health reasons to Henry
Wegener who remained D. E. Walkers partner until both men died in
1899.
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