Chambers, Blanche Riordan, 1896-1985

The Riordan family first established themselves in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1884 when the oldest of three brothers, Denis Matthew ("Matt") Riordan, became general manager of the Ayer Lumber Company (established in 1881 following the demand for railroad ties for the Atlantic-Pacific rail line project). In 1887 Denis ("Matt") Riordan bought the Ayer Lumber Company, which then became the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company, and his brothers Timothy and Michael Riordan helped run the operations. By 1893 Denis ("Matt") Riordan had sold his interests in the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company (AL and T) to his brothers Tim and Mike (as they were called by everyone, including employees) and general manager F.W. Sisson.

Tim and Mike Riordan married two sisters, Elizabeth (to Mike, 1892) and Caroline Metz (to Tim, 1889), and built connected homes which they named Kinlichi, Navajo for "red house." The Metz sisters were daughters of a wealthy merchant family from Cincinnati, Ohio.

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