Breckenridge Stephens Walker

Breckenridge Stephens Walker. . Breckenridge "Breck" Stephens Walker (1877-1929) was born to E.L. and Molena Jane Yancy Walker in Stephens County and named for the town and county of his birth. With his brother B.B., Walker operated a livery and a stage that ran between Breckenridge and Ranger. He met his future wife, Cora Alice Davis, while riding past her home on stagecoach trips. The two were married in 1897. The Walker brothers purchased a hardware store, but Breck aspired to be a banker, joining the First National Bank of Breckenridge as a cashier in 1904. He eventually purchased controlling interest in the bank and became its president. During this period, he purchased large areas of local land for cattle ranching., Oil was discovered in the Breckenridge area in the 1910s. Walker teamed with Judge Clifton Mott Caldwell and formed the Walker-Caldwell Oil Co. in 1917. In 1920, Breckenridge experienced an oil boom. The population of the town rose from around 1,500 to 15,000 in one year. This boom brought a time of prosperity and growth to the area. In 1920, Walker opened the town of Breckwalker nine miles to the south of Breckenridge. Meant to be a supply center for the area's oil industry, the town never prospered, disappearing completely as the boom subsided. Walker's company built Breckenridge's first water system, established a daily newspaper, and constructed several buildings and churches. In 1925, Breckenridge's leaders appointed Walker mayor. He accepted and held office until failing health forced him to leave in 1928. He died of Pneumonia on January 16, 1929, and is buried in Fort Worth.