Archibald Gardner

Biography

Archibald Gardner arrived in the Salt Lake Valley as a young millwright and soon became the builder of gristmills, sawmills, and waterworks that turned arid stretches into productive farms, helping to found communities such as West Jordan, Murray, and others across the territory. His engineering gifts and entrepreneurial spirit provided the basic ingredients - flour, lumber, irrigation - that made pioneer life sustainable.

Through decades of hard work and quiet generosity, he supported neighbors, mentored younger craftsmen, and left a landscape dotted with mills that bore witness to his faith in the future; he is laid to rest in Salt Lake City Cemetery.