FRIENDS OF THE MONTEZUMA CYPRESS started this petition to city of brownsville

The subject property of this petition possesses a history of immense value to South Texas, stemming from its organization as a 640-acre plantation in 1869. The original owners were a consortium of steamboat captains and early colonizers of Brownsville, Texas. It was given the formal name of, "La Esperanza Planting Company", and was referred to in various combinations of that name for the following one hundred years of active agricultural use. In the year 1872, these lands were bought by the French immigrant, Celestin Jagou and quickly converted into a virtual "Garden of Eden", with a broad variety of tropical fruits, sugarcane, and cotton being the mainstay of production. Jagou, by his innovative farming techniques, can be considered as the "Father of South Texas Agriculture". In 1893 he constructed a brick bridge over a waterway on his property that bore great stylistic similarities to the "Le Ponte Neuf", behind Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. In the year 2020, that bridge was awarded the distinction by the Texas Historical Commission as being a certified historic structure, and a commemorative plaque has been assigned. By all of the value of its historical heritage, a name that reflects these noble origins needs to be applied to these grounds, as the City of Brownsville is currently planning a community recreational area for this site that will tie into the cross-city hike and bike trail. 

As pertains to a formal name for this park, three main options have surfaced. These keywords are: 1.) Some combination of the name "Jagou"; 2.) Combinations utilizing the name "La Esperanza"; and 3.) Combinations utilizing the name "La Posada". Possible examples being, "La Esperanza Cypress Reserve", "La Posada Park", or "Jagou Cypress Sanctuary". Preliminary investigations have revealed that the "Jagou" option is problematic in that it is often mispronounced, rendering it a poor choice for the public to adopt. The remaining two options, "La Esperanza" and "La Posada" each have to be considered on the strength of their historical importance. The following is a brief description of how these terms became attached to this property:

OPTION #1:  LA ESPERANZA – (Examples: La Esperanza Park ; La Esperanza Montezuma Cypress Reserve; La Esperanza Cypress Reserve; etc.)

HISTORY:      The “La Esperanza Agricultural Association”, or “La Esperanza Farm” was originally formed by Capt, King, Capt. Kenedy, Capt. Kelly, Capt. Dalzell (Steamboat captains) in 1869. In 1879 this land (640 acres) was sold to Celestin Jagou. The La Esperanza Farm under the Jagou's lasted almost 100 years of continuous operation. The name association has been in place for more than150 years.

OPTION #2:  LA POSADA – (Examples as above)

HISTORY:      Developer Neal Simmons, upon the death of Melvin Jagou, the grandson of Celestin Jagou,  approached the widow of Melvin and the widow of the other grandson, Louie Alphonse (Dukie), to buy the remaining lands of the homestead. A contract was let. The streets of that subdivision were named after motels, both in Texas and Mexico ( La Quinta, La Posada, La Fiesta, La Siesta, etc.) Simmons immediately was sued by the city for non-compliance with ordinances that required developers to provide infrastructure for subdivisions prior to sale. He further reneged on his original pledge to the “widows” to formulate a Class “A” Residential Development. He downgraded the subdivision to a Class “B” designation. The name association has been in place for less than 40 years.

This petition must conform with a format that is required by the city of Brownsville in that; 1.) IT IS SPECIFICALLY LIMITED TO RESIDENTS OF BROWNSVILLE; 2.) The choices are limited to the two options that are presented herein (La Esperanza or La Posada); 3.) The respondents must render; Full Name, Address, Date of Birth, Telephone Number (in the Comments section). If any one of these four fields is missing, the petition sheet that they are addressing will not be counted.

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