User:Jrhermit/Gardner, Thomas Frederick

THOMAS FREDERICK GARDNER, born April 13, 1820, in Buffalo, New York,was one of the first white settlers in what is now southern Arizona. He went west to California as a 49er, then travelled through Mexico and arrived in Arizona shortly after its creation as a territory by the Gadsden Purchase. Gardner married Gertrude Apodaca during one of his trips to Cananea, Sonora, Mexico and they settled near present-day Patagonia. Gardner Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains foothills, where he operated Apache Springs Ranch, is named in his honor. The Apache Springs Ranch exists to this day. He eventually fathered 12 children with Gertrude. Thomas Gardner Jr., born 1879, was the sole surviving male child. Carlos Gardner, born 1868, died in infancy in 1870. Four daughters; Mary Theresa (1862) Delia (1869), Tomasa Gertrude (1875), and Elizabeth Jane (1882), survived to adulthood. Five daughters, Josephine (c.1861), Eloisa (1864), Rosa (1866), Maria Eloisa (1872), and Salome(1874) died in early childhood of disease. Daughter Julia Manuela (1878) was killed at one year of age by a lightning strike while in her mother's arms. Mother Gertrude was injured by the strike, but recovered.

The Gardners survived numerous encounters with the Apache who raided the area, killing some of his ranch hands and stealing his stock. In 1861, Thomas Gardner was shot through a lung by Cochise, Chief of the Chiricahua Apache. He survived that wound and eventually recovered.

Gardner was active in numerous business ventures, including ranching, mining, and a sawmill in the Santa Rita Mountains. He sold beef to the U.S. Army and provided lumber for building new homes and business establishments in the area.

Gardner died in Patagonia in March, 1906, and was the first person buried at the Patagonia Cemetary, where a large marker stands over his final resting place. His descendants are scattered throughout the country, with many remaining in Arizona.

