Parker ( Mojave 'Amat Kuhwely, formerly 'Ahwe Nyava) is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

La Paz County La Paz County is the 15th county in the U.S. state of Arizona, located in the western part of the state. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,557, making it the second-least populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Parker. Th ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, United States, on the

Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...

Parker Valley The Parker Valley is located along the Lower Colorado River within the Lower Colorado River Valley region, in southwestern Arizona and southeastern California. Its natural habitats are within the Sonoran Desert (Arizona) and Colorado Desert (Ca ...

. The population was 3,083 at the 2010 census.

History

Founded in 1908, the town was named after

Ely Parker Ely Samuel Parker (1828 – August 31, 1895), born ''Hasanoanda'' (Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians, Tonawanda Seneca), later known as ''Donehogawa'', was a U.S. Army officer, engineer, and tribal diplomat. He was bilingual, speaking both Sene ...

, the first Native American commissioner for the U.S. government. The original town site of Parker was surveyed and laid out in 1909 by Earl H. Parker, a railroad location engineer for the Arizona & California Railway. The town officially incorporated in 1948 and became the county seat for the newly created La Paz County on January 1, 1983.

Camp Colorado and Parkers Landing

The town's name and origin began when a post office called Parker was established January 6, 1871, at Parker's Landing and the site of the Parker Indian Agency, named for Ely Parker, on the

Colorado River Indian Reservation The Colorado River Indian Tribes (Mojave language 'Aha Havasuu, Navajo language: Tó Ntsʼósíkooh Bibąąhgi Bitsįʼ Yishtłizhii Bináhásdzo) is a federally recognized tribe consisting of the four distinct ethnic groups associated with the C ...

, four miles downriver from the site of the railroad bridge of the modern town, to serve the Indian agency.John and Lillian Theobald, ''Arizona Territory Post Offices & Postmasters'', Arizona Historical Foundation, Phoenix, 1961. What became Parkers Landing was established on the river as the place to land and pick up cargo and personnel for the Indian Agency and the

U. S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

detachment that was stationed there at Camp Colorado from 1864 to 1869, during the first years of the Reservation. Camp Colorado was abandoned after wind-blown sparks from the departing steamboat Cocopah rapidly burned down the brush huts of the officers of the garrison, and endangered its barracks and storehouses. Richard E. Lingenfelter, Steamboats on the Colorado River, 1852–1916, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1978

Geography

The city is on the

just south of the Headgate Rock Dam and Moovalya Lake.

Arizona State Route 95 State Route 95, also known as SR 95, is a north–south state highway along the western edge of Arizona that is split into two sections. Route description The southern segment begins in Quartzsite, Arizona, Quartzsite at its junction with U ...

and

California State Route 62 State Route 62 (SR 62) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that cuts across the Little San Bernardino Mountains in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It runs from Interstate 10 near White Water to the Arizona state line, passing ...

(across the Colorado River) serve the city. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and 0.05% is water. According to Census Bureau maps, the town is divided into two non-contiguous sections; the northern section consists of the original town and is located in the

Colorado River Indian reservation The Colorado River Indian Tribes (Mojave language 'Aha Havasuu, Navajo language: Tó Ntsʼósíkooh Bibąąhgi Bitsįʼ Yishtłizhii Bináhásdzo) is a federally recognized tribe consisting of the four distinct ethnic groups associated with the C ...

and the southern section consists of a larger, roughly rectangular section of largely undeveloped territory. The undeveloped territory consist of extensive unpaved roads. Of the few that are paved, Mohave Road is the most utilized between the town and the territory. The same road can be taken 15.5 miles south to the town of Poston, which is noted for its relocation camps for

Japanese Americans are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Climate

Parker has an

arid climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

classification, which is characterized by extremely hot summers and warm winters. Wintertime highs in Parker are generally in the upper 60s to lower 70s. Lows during the winter are between with an occasional morning dipping below . The all-time lowest recorded temperature in Parker occurred on December 31, 1911, when temperatures bottomed out at ; however, snow has been recorded only once when fell on one day in December 1932,Parker, Arizona Period of Record General Climate Summary – Precipitation
/ref> and no maximum below has ever been observed. Summers in Parker can be dangerously hot, with highs in June, July, August, and September remaining in the range, days over or even are not rare. April and May both average daytime highs. Even the month of October has an average high of . The all-time highest recorded temperature in Parker was , which occurred on July 7, 1905. This was, at the time, the all-time record high temperature in Arizona history until

Lake Havasu City Lake Havasu City (, ) is a city in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 57,144, up from 52,527 in 2010. It is served by Lake Havasu City Airport. History The community first started as an ...

reached on June 29, 1994. Rainfall is uniformly scanty throughout the year in Parker, with no month averaging more than three days with measurable rainfall. The

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

storms that provide much of the rain in southern and eastern parts of Arizona seldom effect Parker. The wettest month since records began in 1893 was September 1939, when a rare decaying

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

produced a total of including a record daily total of on the fifth day of that month. The wettest calendar year has been 1992 with – though from July 1992 to June 1993 the figure was slightly higher still at – and the driest 1956 with .

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

in 2000, there were 3,140 people, 1,064 households, and 791 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,157 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 62.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.9%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 23.1% Native American, 0.9%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.2%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 7.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 4.5% from two or more races. 29.8% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 1,064 households, out of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.38. In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,625, and the median income for a family was $37,663. Males had a median income of $26,542 versus $21,006 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $15,016. About 10.6% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

runs through Parker, entering the town from the northeast as Rio Vista Highway then turning south in the intersection with California Avenue. To the north of the intersection with California Avenue is the State Route 95 truck spur, which leads to the Colorado River bridge and the eastern terminus of

in Earp. Avi Suquilla Airport is a public use

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

located one nautical mile (1.8 km) east of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

of Parker. It is owned by the

Colorado River Indian Tribes The Colorado River Indian Tribes ( Mojave language 'Aha Havasuu, Navajo language: Tó Ntsʼósíkooh Bibąąhgi Bitsįʼ Yishtłizhii Bináhásdzo) is a federally recognized tribe consisting of the four distinct ethnic groups associated with the ...

. The

Arizona & California Railroad The Arizona and California Railroad is a class III short line railroad that was a subdivision of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). The ARZC began operations on May 9, 1991, when David Parkinson of the ParkSierra RailGroup purchas ...

is headquartered at the railroad depot in Parker, after replacing the

Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and S ...

in 1991 as the owner and operator of the railroad line through the town. It crosses over the Colorado River on a five-span truss bridge near the road bridge to Earp. La Paz County Health Department operates La Paz County Transit, an on-demand bus service.https://la-paz-county-health-department.weebly.com/transit.html

Gallery

File:Parker, Arizona. Parker High School students start a test planting of guayule on the Colorado River . . . - NARA - 536252.jpg, Parker High School students planting guayule at the

Poston War Relocation Center The Poston Internment Camp, located in Yuma County (now in La Paz County) in southwestern Arizona, was the largest (in terms of area) of the ten American concentration camps operated by the War Relocation Authority during World War II. The sit ...

on April 9, 1942. File:Poston, Arizona. View of main street in Parker. Near this desert town, the War Relocation Authorit . . . - NARA - 536254.tif, Parker's main street on April 9, 1942. File: Parker-Old Parker Jail-1914-2.jpg , The Old Parker Jail was built in 1914 and located in Pop Harvey City Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 3, 1975, Reference #75000369. File: Parker-Old Presbyterian Church -1917-1.jpg , The Old Presbyterian Church a.k.a. Mojave Indian Presbyterian Mission Church, located on the South West corner of 2nd Ave., was built in 1917. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on June 3, 1971, Reference #71000122.

References

External links

Town website

''Parker Pioneer''
{{authority control Towns in La Paz County, Arizona Communities in the Lower Colorado River Valley Populated places in the Sonoran Desert Lower Colorado River Valley County seats in Arizona Populated places established in 1908 1908 establishments in Arizona Territory