Skip to content
Gilbert Jones, Medicine Springs, Blackjack Mountain, Spanish Mustangs, SE Oklahoma

Gilbert H. Jones - Spirit of Blackjack Mountain

Medicine Springs, Spanish Mustangs, Oklahoma Heritage Horses, Rickman Spanish Mustangs, GJ,

The Name

Gilbert H. Jones

is synonymous with the term Spanish Mustang

It was a love affair that began when Jones was just a young child and continued throughout his lifetime.

At the age of six -years, he rode his father’s black mustang cross, Old Tough, until he received his own first horse from his uncle at the age of ten.  A coyote dun Indian Territory Mustang he named Susie.

Gilbert knew what he liked in a horse, and at age 17, he wanted “Indian and Spanish ponies.”  He began acquiring the Mustang bloodlines that he eventually brought with him to Southeast Oklahoma, where today some of the purest bloodlines continue to live.

Gilbert and Bertha Caswell married on December 4, 1926 and worked hard while living a simple life until her death in 1977.

Gilbert always credited Bertha for her strength in holding their home together and raising their two daughters while he was away working.  He once wrote, “if she hadn’t been the pioneer type, the years I had spent accumulating my mustangs would all be lost.”

 

Medicine Springs, Blackjack Mountain, Bertha Jones, Southeast Oklahoma Spanish Mustangs

Gilbert had a love for all animals

Gilbert had a love for most animals.  He grew up with dogs and raised his own through his years.  From greyhounds to coon dogs he enjoyed watching them do their work.  On any given day you might find a snake or other critters in or around the Jones’ home, but Gilbert would not hear of you hurting or killing any of them.  “They have as much right to be here as we do,” is what he would tell you.

Gilbert worked as a taxidermist many years to help support his family.  “Everything from bugs to elephants mounted true to life,” as stated on his letterhead, he had 36 years of experience and though he was not in favor of the killing of any animal, he did find his time as a taxidermist interesting.

The Jones family moved to Finley, Oklahoma in 1958 and later to Medicine Springs.  Gilbert resided in the family home until his death in 2000.

Medicine Springs was home to many playdays and 50 mile endurance races sanctioned by the Southwest Spanish Mustang Association (SSMA), an organization started by him.

Gilbert had parts of his story told in many newspapers, magazines, and as pictured in The International Register of Profiles.

Reporters found his lifestyle interesting as he lived in the family’s modest home with no plumbing or electric.

It is said Gilbert Jones is a main reason Finley, Oklahoma had a post office built.  He sent and received numerous letters, cards, and magazines while living on Blackjack Mountain.