Founded in 1908, the town was named after Ely Parker, the first Native American commissioner for the U.S. government. 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 for the Arizona & California Railway. However, 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.[3]