Town of Parker-La Paz County History
 The community was named after General Eli Parker. Eli Parker was a Seneca
Chief. Well educated in both law and civil engineering. In just a few years he became a captain in New
York State militia civil engineering. He built many, bridges etc. Eli entered the Civil War and fought
in several battles. He became aid-de-camp to General Grant and wrote the terms to General Lee's
surrender to General Grant. He was among those present at Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
Eli was a Brigadier General at the end of the war and became Commissioner of Indian Affairs. He retired
1871. More on General Parker... The 270,000-acre
Colorado River Indian Reservation is
located just south of Parker. When the Colorado River Agency was established it was necessary to
have a post office for the area. The Town’s name and origin began when a post office was established
January 6, 1871, on the Colorado River Indian reservation to serve the Indian agency. The name "Parker" was selected to honor General Eli Parker, Commissioner of Indian Affairs,
when the reservation was established.
 When the railroad came through in 1905, the town was moved some four miles
north to the site of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad crossing. The original town site of
Parker was surveyed and laid out in 1909 by a railroad location engineer by the name of Earl. H. Parker. It is a curious fact that the
locating engineer was Earl H. Parker, so that the new location had a double origin for its name.
Since the town site of Parker was laid out for the purpose of providing a railroad stopover, watering
and shipping station, it was only logical that the railroad would run through the center of the Town.
The Town was laid out on a grid of 100 –foot streets forming 300 x 4000 foot blocks with twelve 50- foot
wide lots to a block. The Federal Government auctioned off lots in 1910.
At an elevation of 450 feet above sea level,
Parker was founded in 1908 and incorporated in 1948. In May, 1982, by initiative petition,
voters formed La Paz County from the northern portion of the former Yuma County. On January 1, 1983,
Parker became the county seat for La Paz county.
Nearly 18,000 Japanese-Americans were detained at Poston Relocation Center near here during World War II.
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