b"Parker is a small city of around3,000 people located in the La Paz County of Arizona. It is the county seat and was founded in 1908. The name comes from Ely Parker, who was the first Native American commissioner of the government. The city was officially incorporatedWickenburg to Parker. Seeing an opportunity for in 1948. It now has a total area of 22 square milesfurther development several of the original miners, Newton Evans and Thomas Jefferson Carrigan, and is divided into two sections.secured investment money and began to develop P At its crest, the dam is 856 feet long. Swansea. By the end of 1908, a 350-ton capacity arker is a gateway to the Lake Havasu furnace, a 3.5-mile water pipeline from the Bill region and the Colorado River. The city nps.gov/articles/california-parker-dam.htm Williams River, and the hoists for five mine shafts also has museums, a ghost town, a casino, were under construction. By 1909 Swansea had aand the Parker Dam. Whether its watersportsThe Colorado River Indian Tribes Museum canpopulation of 500. The following year the Arizona that include boating, fishing, jet-skiing, water skiing,be found within the Tribal Government complex& Swansea railroad began operation from Bouse. wakeboarding, and personal watercraft or camping,along with the Colorado River Indian Tribes Library.The railroad was key in moving supplies and people off-roading, hiking, or golfing, there are over 30 RVThe museum offers a look at the history, traditions,in and out of the growing mining town. Financial parks, campgrounds, hotels, motels, and resorts toand heritage of the regions Colorado River Indianproblems set in by 1911 and the mine's shutdown accommodate you along the 16-mile stretch of theTribes. Various exhibits and cultural artifacts,with a brief reopening in 1912. The American Parker Strip.including photographs, baskets, beadwork, pottery,Smelting and Refining Company bought the mines in and other crafts are housed within the museum. 1914 and rebuilt much of the town. The new owners WHERE TO GO The information dates back to 1865 when the CRITran the mines until 1937 when the Great Depression The Parker Dam offers some of the most amazingReservation was founded.closed the mines for good. views you can find of the Lake Havasu. This dam is7 Arizona Ave. 928-669-8970. 928-505-1200located downstream from Hoover Dam and sits rightcrit-nsn.gov/critmuseumon the border of Arizona and California. Visitors canThe Ahakhav Tribal Preserve is a great place take in views of Lake Havasu and the Colorado Riverfor any nature lover. Activities include swimming, by driving just a short distance across the dam. It wasDesert Bar and Nellie E Saloon canoeing, and fishing, as well as a peaceful backwater constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation betweensection of the Colorado River. There is also a 4.6-mile 1934 and 1938 and helps bring power and water tomaintained fitness trail with picnic facilities and a the lower Colorado River Basin. It is a concrete archplayground nearby.structure commonly called the deepest dam in the world. Seventy-three percent of the dam's structuralThe Desert Bar and Nellie E Saloon is a rustic height of 320 feet is below the original river bed; onlyand quirky water hole that was built on land that about 85 feet of the dam's structural height is visible.used to be a mining camp. The bar is only open on weekends from October until April and is closed during the summer season. Hours are from noon Buckskin Mountain State Park until 6:00 pm, and children are welcome. Those wanting to grab a drink here should keep in mind that the Nellie E Saloon and Desert Bar only accepts cash. There is a horseshoe pit behind the bar and a stage for the occasional live music.The Swansea Ghost Town is a former mining siteWHAT TO DOand a good site to learn more about the history ofBuckskin Mountain State Park offers a variety the area. Visitors can have a picnic lunch and relax inof recreational activities, from camping and hiking the ghost town. Barbecue grills are available, as wellto boating and swimming. The park also boasts some as spots for camping. Mining in the Swansea Areaof the best views found on the Parker Strip, which began around 1862, but major activity had to waitspans eighteen miles of the banks of the Colorado for the coming of the railroad. In 1904 the ArizonaRiver, between Headgate Dam and the Parker azstateparks.com & California Railroad began constructing a line fromDam. Buckskin Mountain is a perfect year-round 24 November 2020"