Walter, Charles Lewis

Charles Lewis Walter was born in Mercer County, Illinois, on July 16, 1850, to parents Silas Walter and Evelyn Decker Groff. After serving in Company C of the Eleventh Illinois Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War, he traveled to California in 1867 and later farmed, mined, and played the violin in Illinois, Nevada, and Washington. Upon settling near Fowler, Fresno County, he acquired a section of land known as the Walter Colony, established the Fowler school district, and served as a director and superintendent of the Fowler Canal.

In Fresno County, Charles engaged in extensive farming, shipping early carloads of Egyptian corn and wheat to San Francisco. He expanded his influence by serving four years as supervisor for the Fourth District, managing the Belmont and Yosemite Railway, holding directorships in local banks, and becoming part owner of the Fresno Republican. Married to Meda L. Decker on December 18, 1876, in Eureka, Nevada, he adopted a daughter, Melba Virginia, and later invested in J. S. Manley and Company before relocating to Oakland, California, in June 1910.