Walnut Creek was inhabited along its length by the Tonkawa in small settlements. In 1833, the stream was the site of the first documented conflict in Travis County between the indigenous natives and settlers when an attack on a settler hunting party resulted in two deaths. However, the Tonkawa soon allied with the American settlers against the larger rival tribes in the region—the Comanche, Kiowa, and Apache—often serving as scouts for the Texas Rangers and U.S. Army.
