John L. Jones disappeared on Nov. 13, 1940. Pictured above are some 30 men using 11 boats in pontoon fashion as they drag the river bottom using grappling irons and poles. Caption dated Nov. 21, 1940. | Courtesy The Rexburg Journal REXBURG — A search was underway in 1940 for a hotel owner in Rexburg who mysteriously vanished one night. The story on John L. Jones was featured in our weekly Looking Back column, which looks back on what life was like during different periods in east Idaho history. RELATED: Looking back: Rexburg hotel owner vanishes; teen charged with murder Jones leaves hotel, never returns Jones — who was described as a “moderately wealthy owner of the Lincoln Hotel,” which was Rexburg’s second-largest hotel at the time — went missing on Nov. 13, 1940. He was 78 years old. The Idaho Falls Post Register reported that Jones left his hotel around 6:30 p.m. after telling his wife that he “had to see a party.” He left the hotel by using the back stairs. Hotel Lincoln in Rexburg, which was owned by John L. Jones. | Courtesy Lowell J. Parkinson and Family Tree After not returning to the hotel, “alarmed relatives” contacted law enforcement. An all-night search failed to disclose any trace of Jones’ whereabouts. The next day, on Nov. 14, his stepson Otto Brown, who had been helping his stepfather with managing the hotel, found Jones’ car. Madison County Sheriff Ursel H. Bigler said the car was found on the riverbank. Matches were found on the thin shore ice, which was broken in front of his car. It was speculated that Jones’ body was in the river. Continued search efforts prove fruitless A wire net was stretched across the North Fork of the Snake River in hopes of locating Jones’ body. Sticks of dynamite were also discharged in many places in the river in an attempt to dislodge the body from anything that might obstruct grappling irons. On the afternoon of Nov. 17, 1940, over 1,000 spectators lined the banks of the river as a crew of approximately 75 volunteer workers using about 30 boats combed the waters. “Every available boat in the neighborhood was brought into action in Sunday’s search,” the Post Register wrote. “One (was also) supplied by the Idaho Falls police department.” Throughout the following weeks, a day and night watch was kept, but there were still no signs of Jones. Jones’ body found It wasn’t until May 12, 1941, that Jones’ body was found. Ed Gunderson and his sons, Vern and Gerald, were out looking for cows that hadn’t come home the night before when they saw the body floating in the Snake River near the Menan Bridge. They noticed the body as they crossed the bridge. “The body was lodged against willows in an eddy of the river, about three-quarters of a mile below the river bridge, north of Menan,” The Rigby Star explained. Vern ran along the bank following the body in the stream while his father called the sheriff’s office. “The body lodged in shallow water further down the stream and was recovered by Mr. Gunderson when he returned after phoning the officers,” the article reads. Sheriff Fillmore and Deputy Orstrom stated that the body was remarkably well-preserved, considering it had been in the water for such a long time. They stated there were no unusual marks on the body other than a slight cut on the chest that was probably done by a stick or rock in the river, and no evidence of any foul play. An autopsy was performed in Rexburg by Dr. W.L. Sutherland, Dr. H.B. Rigby, Dr. Parley Nelson, and dentist B.R. Gill. However, coroner Jean Keller said the autopsy “failed to reveal the cause of death.” Remembering Jones Jones was born Nov. 22, 1863, in Uintah, Utah. He moved to Idaho in 1889 and settled on a farm in Madison County. Jones married Elenora Spaulding in 1889, but she died several years later. He eventually married Ida B. Brown of Rexburg. He left behind his wife, three daughters and a stepson. The post A well-known hotel owner in Rexburg went missing in 1940. This is the story on John L. Jones. appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com