The river was named in 1887 by Robert McPhee, who was prospecting the area at the time.

He named the river after Colonel Fox Angelo, who was the government resident in Roebourne and later became the Superintendent of Rottnest Island.

[3] Aboriginal Australians, the Ngarlawongga and Banjima peoples, have dreamtime songs involving the origin of the black river goanna, which is believed to have been created in the river.

Likewise the black-headed python is believed to have been created in Indabiddy Creek.

This article related to a river in Western Australia is a stub.