In 1955, Vern Parker moved his family to Silverton, Colorado, where he bought the "Hitchin' Post," a gift and art shop. He sold his original paintings, the colorful postcards, and other western gifts with the help of his wife, Eloise. Allen began his glass art and had his work and display case in the store. The store remained in business until 2003, when the old, wood storefront "Hitchin'Post" building was sold. Allen and Eloise maintain the neighboring brick building as a gift store and a workshop and display area for Allen's art glass. Vern Parker died July 4, 1978. His ashes were scattered at Animas Forks, Colorado, a ghost town near the Continental Divide, elevation 11,400 feet above sea level. Vern Parker is present in spirit only, but the beauty, strength, spirit and history of western art remain through his paintings, carvings, postcards and his family.

Vern Parker, Hitchin' Post, Silverton, Colorado, 1974.

The "Hitchin' Post," Silverton, Colorado From the street, Vern's handiwork is shown in his murals and signs.
 The interior shows the original oil paintings, his famous postcards,thirty in all, and other notable gifts.

Notable News Articles from the Silverton Standard Newspaper  ARTIST PARKER ENTERTAINS SILVERTON ROTARY CLUB July 18, 1958, Silverton Standard Ladies night Wednesday for Silverton Rotary Club was most successful.  Al members were present in addition to the members ladies and guests. Artist Vern Parker of Arcade Studios put on the program.  He did several sketches of horses, pointing out the difference between the different breeds.  He is an expert on horses and his drawings and accompanying narration were enjoyed by all present.

Popular Summer Artist, Vern Parker, Succumbs July 16, 1978, Silverton Standard Vern Parker, whose association with the tourist industry in Silverton spanned 20  years, died this past Tuesday in Tucson.  He had been ill for several months. Parker and his family operated The Hitchin’ Post on Blair Street, founded in 1959 as Wells Fargo.  The establishment is the oldest gift shop in Silverton under a single owner. Parker and his wife, Eloise came to Silverton in 1957 as employees at the Old Arcade, and worked there for two summers before launching Wells Fargo with Joe Myerhouser. Benson Revisited shows a brief view of the history of these two men. The sight was then vacant buildings on Blair Street, purchased on July and November, 1959.  The Parkers later bought Myerhouser out, and even later changed the name of the establishment to The Hitchin’ Post. The Parkers spent the winters in Tucson. A factor in the increasing popularity of the Denver and Rio Grande Western narrow guage and in the revival of Blair Street as a tourist attraction, Parker probably painted virtually 90 per cent of the scenes and signs in Silverton in the decade following the train’s resurgence. Among the larger projects were the Chamber of Commerce visitor welcome billboards at the south end of town, the American Legion war dead memorial board next to the Lode Theater, and three-dimensional replicas of the nararow guage which occupied strategic places in the community for years. His shop featured his own oil paintings and carvings, with his most popoular subjects being horses, Western characters and landscapes.  He painted window and shop signs in both Arizona and Silverton to supplement his studio work. Parker, born in San Joaquin, California, had been a prize fighter early in his life, and painted motion picture sets before coming to Silverton.  He was a long-time member of the Silverton Chamber of Commerce. He is survived by his wife, Eloise, of Tucson and Silverton, and a stepson, Allen, who has assisted with shop operations here for several years. Cremation and burial were conducted Wednesday in Tucson.