Historic Gardner Saw Mill Site

Historic Gardner Saw Mill Site. Utah's 1st Sawmill. Utah's first sawmill was erected near this site with machinery that Robert Gardner, Jr. hauled across the plains with great difficulty. This sawmill produced most of the lumber that built the earliest structures in this valley. , , Robert Gardner, Jr. was a "rugged Scot" from a rural town near Stirling. His family emigrated to Canada where they built mills and worked hard. They joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and made the western trek to Utah by way of Nauvoo, Winter Quarters, and the Mormon Trail. , , After arriving in the Salt Lake Valley on October 1, 1847, he and his brother, Archibald, went straight to work building a sawmill at Warm Springs (below Ensign Peak). Limited water flow led them to move the same machinery to Mill Creek at this site and the home built in January 1848. , , The Gardners were expert millers. Here in Millcreek they found excellent water flow as is seen today. , , They bilt a "muley" type sawmill (left) with an up-and-down saw operated by on overshot wheel. , , Wood pins and mortises were used instead of nails. All shafts, bearings, and cog wheres were made of Utah mountian maple. , , Robert said of this mill: "Here [in Millcreek] we turned out the first lumber sawed in Utah." , , They also erected Utah's 2nd flour mill upstream on this same creek just after "Brother Neff" built the 1st flour mill in nearby Neff's Canyon. , , According to Robert's personal journal: , "Archie and I went into partnership building mills. We had our houses and land near together on Mill Creek and father built a small log house nearby. We built a sawmill in Mill Creek Canyon and one over on the Jordan River [now called Gardner Village]." , , Robert Gardner built an adobe home for his family near the mill. This home still features full bark-skinned timbers with saw-bladed lumber in the floor and in the exposed rafters. These historic artifacts were found during the restoration of this home (2018) with saw-blade marks hewn by this 1st mill. , , Gardner Mills were successful and inspired a cluster of small industries, including blacksmith shops, logging and hauling operations, wool and carding mills, a tannery, several stores, a shoe shop, and a broom factory. , , Robert recorded in his personal journal: "We made lumber, raised grain, got houses, and stock and made money fast...About this time, I was in comfortable circumstanes...In all, I was worth about $10,000." , , But, his good luck changed when water was diverted upstream leaving Robert's mill dry. "He was counseled to bring it from Cottonwood Creek (6 miles away.) He sold most of his livestock and property to pay to build the canal but it kept breaking and it proved a failure. He was then called to leave on a mission to Canada. Despite his business failing and his duties as a father to a large family (4 wives and 37 kids), he accepted the [sic] , , Just before leaving, Robert had an acceident while getting lumber in the canyon on a snowy day. A sliding log nearly killed him and took part of his leg off. When he looked at the blood and flesh, his first fear was that he woulnd't make it on his mission. Determined to serve, he hunted and found his missing piece of leg in his boot and tied it on. , , He got down the canyon and met up with Porter Rockwell (photo on right). Porter tried to help Robert stitch his skin back on, "but Porter's heart failed him...so they held me up and I stitched my leg back on myself." Robert made it on his mission despite being faint. , , After his mission, Robert came back to work on his mills and said: , "We moved back to Millcreek and commenced to repair up my old place [the home nearby]. I worked hard and was able to buy all of Archie's houses and land (the structure of the Gardner Home garage is built from the remains of Archie's old home which was built across the street from where this home now stands)." , , Regarding life in Millcreek, Robert said: "This was the happiest time of my life for all was peace and good feelings. No one need tell me that there can't be peace and enjoyment in a family where there is a plurality of wives in one house, for I have tried it with 3 wives and all their children under one roof." , , Gardner Mill supllied lumber across the Intermountain West, and is featured in the Pipe Organ in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Robert settled in St. George, was a Sealer and Patriarch and was the lead in completing the Temple. Today, we remember the mill and the man, Robert Gardner, whose legacy is "Built to Last."