The Active Historian

Hey, Friend! Welcome back to another post. Today, I want to show you the newest statue at the Oklahoma State Fair Grounds. Let’s get started!

Who was CG Jones?

Charles Gasham “Gristmill” Jones was an influential figure in early Oklahoma history. He was born in Greenup, Illinois on November 3, 1856.

Upon moving to Oklahoma Territory in 1889, he became involved in the community and helped spur the young city’s development.

Jones built the first flour mill in Oklahoma Territory and was an advocate for agriculture. He wanted to help farmers and agriculturalists showcase their work so he helped to promote the Oklahoma Territorial Fair and the State Fair of Oklahoma. It is through his flour mill he earned the nickname, “Gristmill.”

He was also heavily involved in railroad construction making Oklahoma City an important center of the future state of Oklahoma.

Jones was also heavily involved in politics serving in the Territorial and State government. He served in the First, Fifth, and Sixth Territorial Legislatures. He was elected mayor of Oklahoma City in 1896-1897 and 1901-1903. He was the representative for Oklahoma County in First and Second State Legislature.

CG Jones passed away on March 29, 1911, as he was campaigning for a third term as mayor.

The town of Jones in Oklahoma county is named in his honor as his farmstead was in the area.

CG Jones’ farmstead was added the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Statue

The statue of CG Jones was created by local OKC sculptor, LaQuincey Reed. It stands at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds as a tribute to the man who helped make the state fair a reality.

Statue Transcription

Charles Gasham Jones

Born: November 3, 1856, Cumberland Co. Illinois

Married Tena Stafford in Illinois (died 1910)

Children: Luther Jones (Born 1895)

Married Nettie Wheeler (1909)

Died: March 29, 1911

1890 – Built first flour mill in Oklahoma City

1890 – Served on first Territorial Legislature

1891 – Second term in Legislature – Elected Speaker

1893 – Won first place at the Chicago World Fair for Flour grown east of Oklahoma City

1896 – First term as Mayor of Oklahoma City

1897 – His steam powered flour mill burned down

1898 – Elected to third term as Legislator

1898 – Glaze, O.T. (Oklahoma Territory) was named Jones City in his honor

1901 – Founded and platted the town of Mustang

1901 – Won second term as Mayor of Oklahoma City

1904 – Founded Epworth University – present day Oklahoma City University

1905 – Chairman of Single Statehood Committee

1906 – Produced and shipped the Territory’s largest shipment of agricultural goods from his farmstead near Jones City

1907 – Founded and became the First President of the Oklahoma State Fair Association

1907 – Served on First Oklahoma State Legislature

1908 – Served on Second Oklahoma State Legislature

1909 – Led efforts to secure large meat pacers for the newly created Stockyards

1910 – Led efforts to relocate State Capitol to Oklahoma City

1911 – Running for third term as Mayor of Oklahoma City at time of death

*End of transcription.

Newspaper Clippings

Y’all should know by now that I did a sweep of the newspapers to see what I could find! I found a handful of articles that talk about the events listed above. I’ve included what I could find in chronological order below.

Visit

To see the statue in this post visit the State Fair Park in OKC:

3001 General Pershing Blvd. 

Oklahoma City, OK 73107

Sources

Secondary Sources

Aaron Bachhofer II, “Jones, Charles Gasham,” The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society.

“Charles “Gristmill” Jones.” City of Oklahoma City.

“Monument honors Oklahoma Territory pioneer and City leader C.G. Jones.” City of Oklahoma City. August 21, 2025.

“C.G. Jones – Unveiling at State Fairgrounds.” Oklahoma City/County Historical Society.

Primary Sources

Statue Plaque.

Newspapers

“Oklahoma News Notes.” The Fort Gibson Post (Fort Gibson, Oklahoma), November 17, 1898.

“The Next Oklahoma Legislature.” The Hennessey Kicker (Hennessey, Oklahoma), November 19, 1898.

“The Legislature.” The Stroud Star (Stroud, OK), January 11, 1901.

“Charles G. Jones Sudden Demise.” The Daily Ardmoreite (Ardmore, Oklahoma), March 30, 1911.

*All newspaper clippings in this blog post were pulled from newspapers.com. All digitized primary sources were found on ancestry.com unless stated otherwise. I am not affiliated with either website. I just wanted to let you know where I found my digitized sources.