Charles G. Jones

Charles Gasham "Gristmill" Jones (November 3, 1856 – March 29, 1911) was an American urban developer and politician in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Jones was responsible for bringing electrical power to downtown Oklahoma City and developing a railroad line between Sapulpa, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma City. The town of Jones, Oklahoma, is named for him.

Early life Jones was born in Greenup, Illinois, on November 3, 1856, and arrived in Oklahoma Territory in 1889.

Career

Urban development After arriving in Oklahoma Territory, Jones organized the construction of a canal to bring electrical power to downtown Oklahoma City and built the first flour mill in Oklahoma Territory. (The flour mill project caused him to be known by the nickname "Gristmill" Jones.) Jones owned a farmstead in the town, which is today listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Railroads Jones’s most important contribution to the development and history of Oklahoma City involved the construction of rail lines. By 1898, that line linked Oklahoma City with Sapulpa, Oklahoma and the trackage of a predecessor of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (“Frisco”); it was sold to that company the next year.

Jones and Overholser also incorporated the Oklahoma City Terminal Railroad (“Terminal”) on April 7, 1900 under the laws of Oklahoma Territory. Terminal built between April and November of that year about one to one-and-a-half miles of trackage in central Oklahoma City to service the Frisco depot. The former Terminal trackage was sold to the City of Oklahoma City in late 1928, a new Union Depot was constructed in a different location on behalf of the Frisco and Rock Island, and some or all of the former trackage land became part of the Oklahoma City Civic Center and public parks.

Political career A Republican, Jones was elected to the 1st, 5th and 6th Oklahoma Territorial Legislatures, representing Oklahoma County, served two terms as the mayor of Oklahoma City in 1896 and 1897 and 1901 to 1903 and was elected to the 2nd Oklahoma State Legislature.

Death Charles Jones died of a stomach hemorrhage on March 29, 1911, at his homestead in Jones, Oklahoma.