SOLOMON PARKS WAS THE FOURTH SON BORN TO JOAB AND LUCY YORK PARKS.

SOLOMON PARKS WAS BORN IN RANDOLPH CO.,NORTH CAROLINA ON AUGUST 20,1831. HIS FATHER HAD GIVEN HIM A HORSE AND AT THE AGE OF 13 SOLOMON RAN AWAY FROM HOME BECAUSE HIS FATHER HAD SOLD HIS HORSE. HE STOLE A MULE AND HEADED BAREBACK FOR TEXAS.

ALONG THE WAY HE TRADED THE MULE FOR A MARE AND A PIECE OF A SADDLE. YEARS LATER HE RETURNED TO HIS FATHER WITH HORSES HE ROUNDED UP FROM MEXICO TO REPAY HIS FATHER FOR THE STOLEN MULE.

SOLOMON TRAVELED FROM PLACE TO PLACE UNTIL HE ENDED UP IN AUSTIN, TEXAS IN 1846. HE WORKED TENDING BAR AT THE CORNER OF PECAN AND FIFTH STREETS UNTIL HE COULD AFFORD A HORSE.

AFTER SAVING SOME MONEY HE OPERATED A KIND OF PAWN SHOP ABOVE THE GAMBLING HALL. HE PAWNED SADDLES, LEGGINGS AND ANYTHING OF VALUE. SOL LEFT AUSTIN IN 1847 ON A GOOD HORSE AND WITH MONEY IN HIS POCKET.

IN 1851-52 HE PANNED FOR GOLD IN SACREMENTO. HE PANNED IN WATER UP TO HIS WAIST AND CONTRACTED SOME KIND OF RHEUMATISM OR ARTHRITIS FROM BEING EXPOSED TO THE COLD WATER FOR LONG PERIODS. HE MAY HAVE ALSO HAD A PAWN BROKERAGE IN THE MINING AREA.

IN THE LATER 1850'S HE CONTRACTED YELLOW FEVER FOR MONTHS, WHILE IN ACAPULCO, MEXICO. AN OLD MEXICAN WOMAN NURSED HIM BACK TO HEALTH. IT WAS THERE THAT HE LEARNED TO SPEAK SPANISH.

HE PASSED THROUGH GOLIAD IN 1851 ON HIS WAY TO SACREMENTO, CALIFORNIA. IN 1859 HE RETURNED WITH $20,000 IN GOLD IN HIS SADDLE BAGS. HE LIVED AT THE SIEDEL HOTEL. HE STATED THAT HE LIKED GOLIAD BETTER THAN ANY PLACE HE HAD BEEN AND DECIDED TO LOCATE THERE.

IN THE 1860 CENSUS, HE IS SHOWN AT THE HOTEL AS S. PARKS , 28, TRADER, N. CAROLINA. HE IS REPORTED TO HAVE ARRIVED ON HORSEBACK WITH THE GOLD IN HIS SADDLEBAGS, TRAVELING AT NIGHT, AND HOLDING UP IN THE DAYTIME TO KEEP THE INDIANS FROM SEEING HIS CAMPFIRE.

SOLOMON BOARDED AT THE BENHAM RANCH, WHICH HE AFTERWARD PURCHASED. IN 1860 HE BOUGHT THE ORIGINAL TRACT OF LAND FROM MR VAN METER (WILLIAM BROMBLY TRACT).
THIS WAS ALMOST THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE PRESENT RANCH HOUSE. IN 1860 HE FOUNDED THE PARKS RANCH.

HE WOULD GO TO MEXICO AND ROUND UP WILD MULES, HORSES AND CATTLE AND RETURN TO SELL THEM IN TEXAS AND LOUISIANA. AS HE ACCUMULATED MONEY HE WOULD BUY ADJACENT PROPERTY.

IN 1874 HE MARRIED LOUISE LUCAS AND LATER HAD 2 CHILDREN. HE WAS MUCH OLDER THAN LOUISE AND WAS QUOTED 'WELL, YOU DIDN'T GET WHAT YOU WANTED BUT YOU GOT THE BEST THE MARKET AFFORDED!'

HE HAD NICKNAMES FOR EVERYONE. LOUISE HUGGINS DONOGHUE WAS 'RABBITT'. SOL MINCHEN PARKS WAS 'CLUCKY'. HIS DAUGHTER IDA LAURA WAS 'SCRAP' AND HER HUSBAND W.O. HUGGINS WAS 'OBADIAH'.

AT HIS DEATH, SOLOMON PARKS HAD ACCUMULATED 14,076 ACRES OF LAND.

ACCORDING TO HIS ATTORNEY SOLOMON PARKS WAS 'GENEROUS, A GOOD NEIGHBOR AND EASY TO GET ALONG WITH, PROVIDED THE OTHER FELLOW HAD HIS RESPECT AND CONFIDENCE, SOUGHT TO BE TAKEN, HE WAS A GOOD AND LASTING ENEMY.'

OBiT: The Victoria Advocate
November 7, 1914

WEALTHY GOLIAD COUNTY RANCHMAN DIES VERY SUDDEN

Goliad - November 7, 1914
Sol Parks, a well known wealthy ranchman of Goliad county, died at his home here this morning at 6 o'clock very suddenly of hear failure.
Mr Parks, was a brother-in-law of C.B. Lucas of San Antonio. He is survived by his wife, one daughter, one son and three grandchildren.
At the time of his death he was 84 years old.

Mr Parks was well known in Victoria and has a large number of close friends that are sad to learn of his sudden death.

The name Solomon Parks has been passed down to his great-great-great grandson….Solomon M Parks.