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. At this time the Visalia Stock Saddle Company started a history of many ownership changes and below we will list the owners and their period of ownership as well as any notes of significance.

The Visalia Stock Saddle Company is still in business today and they can be located in Fresno, California and still their motto is:

“Unless it carries the Visalia Logo or the D. E. Walker Stamp, it is not truly Visalia”