Hodges Gardens State Park - History

History

The area was once home to bands of Indians, Spanish and French Explorers, and Highwaymen that were prominent during the time of the Neutral Strip (Louisiana). A road known as the El Camino Real, or the King's Highway, passed through what became Hodges Garden, and across the Sabine River at Gain's Ferry. It originated in Natchitoches, crossed west central Louisiana, through Texas to Mexico City.

A.J. Hodges, a native of Cotton Valley in Webster Parish, purchased over 100,000 acres (400 km2) of cut-over barren land and replanted 39,000 acres (160 km2) in timber. The land included an old quarry and he and his wife, the former Nona Trigg, planned a scenic garden around the natural rock formations. The quarry had been used to supply rocks, stones, and sandstone to build, among other things, the jetties in Port Arthur. Work began on the jetties in 1898 and material from the quarry was delivered by wagon that would have been at least a six day round trip. Water from a 225-acre (0.91 km2) lake build in 1954 is pumped through the gardens to waterfalls, pools, a geyser, fountains, and to the watering system before it is recycled back into the lake. Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, head of the Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Department, said that the state signed a transfer agreement with the Hodges Foundation. Landrieu, who leaves the lieutenant governorship in May 2010 to become mayor of New Orleans, noted that Andrew Jackson Hodges, Sr. (1890–1966), "took a barren 700-acre (2.8 km2) stone quarry and turned it into a thriving tourist area. The state’s takeover of the park will restore the garden’s original beauty, upgrade accommodations, and ultimately add value to this economic asset."