Archibald Gardner facts for kids
Archibald Gardner (born September 2, 1814 – died February 8, 1902) was an important pioneer and businessman in the 1800s. He knew a lot about building sawmills and gristmills. Sawmills cut wood into lumber, and gristmills grind grain into flour. With his skills, he helped start communities in places like Alvinston, Ontario in Canada, and West Jordan, Utah and Star Valley, Wyoming in the United States.
During his life, Archibald built 36 gristmills and sawmills. He built 23 in Utah, 6 in Canada, 5 in Wyoming, and 2 in Idaho. These mills were very helpful to the people living nearby. Archibald also built many miles of canals. These canals brought water to power his mills. He was known as a businessman, father, engineer, and a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as a local leader, called a Bishop, for 32 years starting in 1859.
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Early Life and Mills
Archibald was born in Kilsyth, Scotland, on September 2, 1814. His father, Robert Gardner, ran a tavern and a mill. Archibald was one of five children who survived. In 1822, his family moved to Canada, near Port Dalhousie, Ontario.
When Archibald was 17, he built his first mill. He followed his father's instructions. Six years later, he moved to a place that would later be called Alvinston, Ontario. There, in 1837, he built a gristmill. This mill was special because it was built without nails. Instead, it used wooden pins and carefully fitted wooden parts. Gristmills were very important. They made flour for bread, and often became the center of a community. Archibald also built a sawmill nearby to make wooden shingles.
In 1839, Archibald married Margaret Livingston. In 1845, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Because he joined the church, he faced some difficulties. He sold his mills in Canada at a lower price and sent his family to America. Archibald left Canada in 1846. He was chased by the local sheriff but managed to escape across a dangerous, icy river into the United States.
Journey West
Archibald met his family in St. Louis, Missouri. They then traveled to Nauvoo, Illinois. However, they found that the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had already left. After getting more supplies, the Gardner family went to Winter Quarters. Sadly, Archibald's daughter Janet died there in 1846.
In June 1847, the family began their long journey to the Rocky Mountains. They traveled with a group led by Bishop Hunter. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on October 1, 1847. John Taylor, who later became a leader of the Church, also traveled with Archibald's group.
Life in the West
Building Mills and Canals
After trying to build a sawmill in Warm Springs, Archibald moved to Millcreek. In 1848, his family moved the mill to a better spot on Mill Creek. This new location had more water flow. The family said they sawed the first lumber in the Salt Lake Valley there.
Archibald and his brother Robert planned and started digging a long canal in West Jordan. This canal was two and a half miles long. It brought water from the Jordan River to power their mills. The west side of the Salt Lake Valley did not have much water. So, settlers had to build irrigation systems to grow food.
The area around West Jordan grew quickly after Archibald finished its first gristmill in 1858. This was the year before he became a Bishop in the West Jordan area. The "Gardner Mill" helped other businesses start up. These included blacksmith shops, logging operations, and stores. Archibald, working with many others, built 23 mills in Utah. Some of these mills sold their products to places like Camp Floyd and Fort Douglas.
Helping Build the Salt Lake Temple
The foundation for the Salt Lake Temple was started in 1855. But there were problems with cracks in the foundation. Brigham Young, who was the leader of the Church, was worried the foundation would not hold the temple's weight. He asked Archibald Gardner for his advice.
Archibald calmly explained that too much mortar had been used. He suggested that all the stones for the building should be cut to fit perfectly. This way, the stones would sit directly on top of each other without needing a lot of mortar. This would prevent cracks and settling. Brigham Young agreed, saying, "Brother Gardner, you are right. That is my revelation." The Salt Lake Temple still stands strong today, almost 150 years later. Archibald's son, Clarence Gardner, believed this was a special insight from God. He felt Archibald's many years of solving practical problems helped him know what to do.
Mining Business
In 1863, Archibald Gardner became involved in the mining business by chance. A man named George B. Ogilvie was logging for Archibald. He found an interesting piece of rock. He sent it to General Patrick Edward Connor at Fort Douglas. It turned out the rock had traces of silver.
Miners met and created the Jordan Silver Mining District in September 1863. Archibald Gardner was chosen as the first record keeper for the district. This mining district later became the West Mountain Mining District. Today, it is known as the Bingham Copper Mine, owned by Kennecott.
Later Life and Challenges
Archibald Gardner had a large family with multiple marriages. This was a common practice for members of his church at that time. However, after 1862, laws were passed against this practice. Because of this, Archibald was sometimes chased by federal agents trying to enforce these laws.
In 1886, he traveled to California to visit his brother. On another trip to avoid agents, he visited Mexico and his brother in southern Utah. In 1889, Archibald made a home in Afton, Wyoming, in Star Valley. There, he built more mills. He lived near some of his wives and many of his 48 children.
Archibald Gardner died on February 8, 1902, at the age of 87. He is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
Legacy
Archibald Gardner had 11 wives and 48 children. His life is remembered with a monument in Afton, Wyoming. A restored gristmill at Gardner Village in West Jordan, Utah, also honors him. This site, where Archibald built his first flour mill in West Jordan, is now called Gardner Village. It has old pioneer homes that are now shops and a restaurant named Archibald's Restaurant.
Rulon Gardner, who won a gold medal in Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling, is a great-great-grandson of Archibald Gardner. In 1990, a new headstone was placed for Archibald Gardner. About 2,000 of his 20,000 descendants attended a family reunion in Afton, Wyoming, that year.
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