Michigan Spirit Quest #53 - The Rowdy Tavern Traditional Cache

The Michigan Spirit Quest series of geocaches will take you to a number of historic cemeteries built by MICHIGAN pioneers. This series is inspired by and is a continuation of the Indiana Spirit Quest caches created by SixDog Team.

Located in rural Clinton County, Gardner cemetery is named after Samuel Gardner, pioneer, farmer and proprietor. This small pioneer cemetery is located on land that was once owned by Mr. Gardner. Samuel Gardner was born about June 15, 1787 in New York and died April 30, 1864. He was married to Lanea Francisco (1794-1876) and they had 9 children.

The following is from "History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, Michigan, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of their Prominent Men and Pioneers." Philadelphia: D.W. Ensign & Co, 1880:

"Among other early comers into the Morton (now known as city of St. Johns) neighborhood were Charles Simpson, William Silverwood, John Avery, and Samuel Gardner. In the year 1840 the extreme northwestern corner of Bingham (Township) came to be known as Gardner's Corners, and for many years thereafter the Corners had a reputation that reached far and wide. It was there that Samuel Gardner located a piece of land in 1839 and in February, 1840, he occupied the place as a permanent settler (currently at the intersection of W. Kinley Rd. and Airport Rd. Samuel had a 40 acre farm where he grew corn, potatoes, hay, 2 “milch” cows and 2 swine). He was located on the DeWitt Road (now called Airport Rd), passing via the west town-line of town 7 (now Bingham Township) to Gratiot County, and in the year 1840 there was a good deal of travel over that road by land-seekers bound for Gratiot County. Travel naturally suggested a tavern, and during 1840 Mr. Gardner put up a log tavern upon the spot now occupied by one of his grandsons in the northwestern corner of section 6 (BinghamTownship, currently the corner of W. Kinley Rd. and Airport Rd).

Mr. Gardner called his tavern the Gardner House, and the locality Gardner's Corners. At the time mentioned (1840) he had but few neighbors in Bingham. Lucius Morton, Benjamin Finkle, and Joel Bebee were living in the town east of him, but south of him, on the DeWitt road, he knew of no one but William H. and Reuben Norris between Gardner's Corners and DeWitt. Travel on that highway increased as time moved on, and in 1843, to meet the demands of the occasion, Gardner replaced his log tavern with a more pretentious and commodius framed hotel. A portion of it he set apart as a store, and thereafter, between selling goods and was, too, a place of popular resort for the pleasure-seekers and merry-makers of the adjoining country, and the many jolly dances and similar festive gatherings that marked its busy era are still subjects of enjoyable remembrance among those who took part in them. The country belles in those days were inordinately fond of dancing opportunities, and although they did walk barefooted many miles to a Gardner House ball and carry their shoes to the ball-room door to save the wear of them, they enjoyed the hilarious reunions none the less nor missed one when they could help it.

Business at Gardner's tavern was during the briskest season of travel so great that upwards of sixty teams were kept there overnight, and the receipts of money before ten o'clock in the morning were more than a hundred dollars. Gardner that his widow carried it on until it burned to the ground in 1872. During 1854, Mr. Gardner built at St. Johns the first tavern put up at the village, although he was himself at no time the landlord of it. In 1857 a post-office called Gardner's Corners was established at Gardner's Hotel, and Mr. Gardner was appointed to the first postmastership. (The road between Gardner’s Tavern in Bingham Township and DeWitt was the only stage and mail route for several years.) Mail was received from St. Johns, the route being from the latter place to Maple Rapids. Mr. Gardner remained in charge of the office as postmaster until 1863, when it was abolished."

Samuel Gardner's obituary from "Clinton Republican", St. Johns, Michigan, Friday, 6 May 1864:
"Samuel Gardner, one of the earliest settlers of this county, died at his residence four miles northwest of this village on Saturday morning last, at the ripe old age of 87 years. Mr. Gardner was formerly well known to the traveling public having kept the house known as "Gardner's Tavern" for many years. He leaves many and warm friends."

Gardner Cemetery. Looking at the location of the Gardner graves. The Gardner Inn was located in the field to the west of the cemetery.	Samuel Gardner headstone, after it was repaired. Weeping willows are carved on either side of an urn at the top of the stone.

GARDNER SCHOOL
From "Clinton County Trails," Genealogists of the Clinton County Historical Society, P.O. Box 23, St. Johns, MI, 48879, June, 1997, Volume 12, Number 2.:
"Gardner School used to occupy the southeast corner of Walker and Airport roads in section 7 of Bingham Township, Records show the school was a one story, 735 square foot structure that was built on the half-acre site in 1880, sometimes called “Kneeland” Structure. It was annexed to St. Johns Public Schools in 1965. It was demolished in 1987. The archives holds a wealth of records on the Gardner School, including copies of other certificates like the one above naming Bernice H. Hettler, teacher for the school year 1925-6 in district No. 2 Frl."

The cache container is a small lock and lock. BYOP. The cache is not located near a grave. As always, please be respectful, and cache in, trash out. Say a prayer for our brave troops, fighting overseas. God Bless America!

MSQ caches are brought to you by the following fellows of GEOMSQ: SixDogTeam (Earthdog Patrick, Lead Dog, Wheel Dog), Wolverine Warriors, The Outcaches, SafariBob & Tweety, PairOMedicChick, Cyclops, Son of Cyclops, The Herd, Menstown1, Ali Kat, Geo's Loulog, MI Chickenlegs, Jagman714, TeamMina, MiTuCats, happyasaclam and Gnarly TwoTrack. If you are interested in spreading the Quest to your neck of the woods AND WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US, email Wolverine Warriors.

** THIS IS A GENUINE MICHIGAN SPIRIT QUEST CACHE**

Congratulations to Team MEMILA for FTF. Found well hidden cache buried under 6"inches of fresh snow. Nicely done, Team.