Harlan D. Jones of Bellingham, WA sent us photos of his father Alfred Jones' gas station which was located on South Chestnut Street on the site presently occupied by Minonk Unocal. Harlan said that his father bought the gas station and the house next door north from Al Underwood in January 1927. Prior to that Alfred had been farming for 21 years. He ran the gas station until he died at 82 on December 14, 1958.

The gas initially had to be pumped by hand until electric pumps became available. The Jones service station was the second one in Minonk. Harlan said that the station was a noisy place from the traffic on old Route 2 (later Route 51), which ran from New Orleans to Duluth, Minnesota, and from the old railroad roundhouse across the street.

Business card advertising Peppy Gas.

A. R. Jones Service Station

A picture of the A. R. Jones Service Station taken around 1929.

Alfred Jones in 1950 at the age of 74.