[4] He was appointed to the clerkship of the district court in Polk County, Iowa in 1846,[5] and in July he platted Fort Des Moines.

[10] Early in 1854 Jones spoke with William D. Brown, suggesting that a city be built on the land he claimed in Nebraska Territory.

Immediately after that Jones became Omaha's first postmaster, operating out of the city's first store, called the "Big 6", which was a general store/saloon located on the north side of Chicago Street west of 13th Street in present-day Downtown Omaha every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evening, shortly after the arrival of the stage.

[13] Jones is also credited with writing the first "Pass-book Code", or rule book, which governed the actions of the Omaha Claim Club's posse throughout its existence.

[2] In 1859 Jones participated in the citizens' committee of Omaha that called upon the federal government to build the first transcontinental railroad across the Platte River Valley of Nebraska.