Born in Maysville, Kentucky in 1848, Thomas Bardon moved to Superior, Wisconsin with his family in 1857. He worked as a surveyor for several years, and then went on to found The Superior Times in 1870. In 1872, he left Superior, settling in nearby Ashland, Wisconsin, where his interests turned to land holdings. He invested in mineral and timber lands in Michigan, Minnesota, and Northern Wisconsin. The Bardon lands, as the basis of his fortune, provided Bardon with a means of further investment. In 1904 and 1905, he obtained controlling interest in two Arizona mines, the Shattuck Mine and the Denn Mine, in Bisbee, Arizona.
In the course of building his multi-million dollar fortune, Thomas Bardon opened and later became president of the Ashland National Bank. He was also mayor of Ashland, 1897-1902. He retired in 1922, and died February 1, 1923.
