Arizona Lumber and Timber Company

In 1887 Denis Riordan purchased the Ayer Mill, which had been established in Flagstaff in 1881. Riordan renamed the company the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company and became its first president. His brothers, Michel and Timothy, joined him in Flagstaff to help him with the business. The Arizona Lumber and Timber Company suffered a devastating fire on its first day of operation-July 16, 1887. The reconstruction of the plant saw many innovations which made this lumber company one of the most progressive in the Southwest during the 1890's. The company was incorporated under the laws of the Territory of Arizona on January 1, 1890.

Between 1890 and 1900 the company operated a mill in Clark's Valley (Lake Mary) known as "The Swamp". Timber obtained from this mill was hauled by the company's Central Arizona Railway, to the main mill in Flagstaff, 25 to 30 miles away. In 1900 the company constructed a dam that formed a lake which was named Mary after Timothy Riordan's oldest daughter, Mary.

In 1887 AL and T obtained control of the Greenlaw Mill which was then located at a town called Cliffs, on the eastside of Flagstaff. This plant was operated until 1925 when it was dismantled.

On August 2, 1898 the Flagstaff mill once again burned to the ground but was quickly rebuilt beginning in October of that year, and reopened in February 1899. On August 23, 1898, Denis Riordan resigned as the Company president; Timothy Riordan served as president in his place until June of 1933.

During the early depression years, 1929-1933, the mill operated only sporadically. In 1933 Mr. J.C. Dolan purchased the controlling capital stock from the Riordan family and the capital stock in 1936. In 1941 the Saginaw and Manistee Lumber Company of Williams leased the Flagstaff plant for a period of 15 years with an option to buy. Saginaw and Manistee was purchased by Southwest Forest Industries in 1953, and much of the machinery was moved to their plant on Butler Avenue in Flagstaff which became Stone Forest Industries in 1991. Stone Forest Industries closed the Flagstaff operation on May 15, 1993.

From the guide to the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company Collection, 1889-1983(bulk 1889-1952)., (Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives Department.)

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. He changed the name of the company to the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company, and his brothers Timothy and Michael Riordan helped run the operations. By 1893 (1897?) Denis ("Matt") Riordan had sold his interests in the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company (AL and T) to his brothers Tim and Mike and general manager Frederick W. Sisson.

From the time they came to the area the Riordans were civic leaders in Flagstaff, establishing such institutions as the first electric company (Flagstaff Electric Light Company), the first library, literary clubs, and the Lake Mary Reservoir (named after Tim's daughter).

In 1933 the Riordans sold their interest in the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company to I.B. Koch, one-time Flagstaff mayor. Timothy A. Riordan continued to serve on the company board of directors until his death in Los Angeles, California, 1946. Michael J. Riordan died following surgery in Minnesota, 1930. Denis M. Riordan died at his San Francisco, California home in 1928. Blanche Riordan Chambers, daughter of Michael J. Riordan, was the last member of the Riordan family to live at the Riordan Mansion (Kinlichi). She died in 1985, leaving the mansion to the Arizona State Park system (Riordan Mansion State Historic Park).

From the guide to the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company Collection, 1880-1950, (Arizona Historical Society/Flagstaff Archives)