THE PERSON:
Fort Jones (the town and former military post) were named in honor of Colonel
Roger Jones, a Brevet Major General during the Civil War and Adjutant General from 1825 to July 15, 1852 when he died. A common misconception is that Colonel Jones actually spent time at the military post. He didn't. After his passing, the military post was named in his honor. The town (previously known as Wheelock), formerly changed its name to Fort Jones in 1860. An interesting tidbit of information: General Ulysses S. Grant received military orders to report to Fort Jones military post but for reasons unknown, he never arrived. The Civil War broke out soon after and of course, the rest is history.
There are many historic buildings located along Main Street and include monuments and plaques to visit. Be sure to visit the Fort Jones Museum which contains some great natural and cultural history of the area. The museum also manages the Carriage House, a building which houses vintage and antique preserved vehicles and located a couple of blocks from the museum. One last tidbit trivia about Fort Jones: Walt Disney's wife, Lillian, was known to have lived in Fort Jones early in her life as well as visiting Fort Jones on occasion after her marriage to Walt.
The posted coordinates at this historical marker are in the heart of Fort Jones and a good place to start your visit around town.