Riordan, Arizona

Riordan, Arizona
Populated place
Riordan Location within the state of Arizona Show map of Arizona Riordan Riordan (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 35°11′33″N 111°44′14″W
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Coconino
Elevation [1]	7,316 ft (2,230 m)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (MST)
Area code	928
FIPS code	04-60170
GNIS feature ID	42729

Riordan was a populated place situated in Coconino County, Arizona, United States.[2] It has an estimated elevation of 7,316 feet (2,230 m) above sea level.[1]

Riordan was once the site of a train depot, lumber mills, a bunkhouse, post office, school, and store, but little remains today.

Geography

Riordan was located on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) west of Flagstaff, Arizona.[3] It was near the Arizona Divide.[4]

History

Early years

Riordan in central Coconino County, Arizona, in 1925

Brothers Michael and Timothy Riordan from Chicago established the Riordan Lumber Mill; the town of Riordan grew up around the Riordan Mill and was named in 1897.[3] Riordan was named in honor of D.A. Riordan.[5]

A second sawmill, owned by the Coconino Lumber Company, opened in Riordan in 1912.[6] In June 1916, ownership of the Riordan mill passed to brothers Charles and Edward McGonigle.[3] The name of the mill company was changed to the McGonigle Lumber Company, with its main offices in Riordan.[7]

The Santa Fe Railway constructed a depot, bunkhouse, and several dwellings; the logging company established a store. The post office in Riordan was established in June 1917.[3] At that time, the Flagstaff Coconino Sun stated that "Riordan is rapidly growing into a thriving little city".[7]

The Church of the Nativity, a Catholic church in Flagstaff, operated a station in Riordan circa 1920.[8]

The Riordan School operated briefly in the 1910s and 1920s.[9][10] Originally, the Riordan School was in a rented building, but in 1913, Coconino County announced provisional plans to construct a new school building.[11]

Decline

The McGonigle mill closed in June 1924 due to a slump in the lumber industry. The Riordan post office followed in September 1925.[3] Riordan's population was 16 in 1925.[12]

There were discussions in 1924 about closing the Riordan School, with local children going to school in Flagstaff.[13] In 1926, the Riordan School District (#16) had one clerk and a single teacher, who taught first through eighth grade.[14] The Riordan schoolhouse was sold that year.[15]

In 1934, there was a major forest fire near Riordan.[16] In June 1934, more than 500 acres of the Coconino National Forest burned before the blaze could be brought under control.[17]

Riordan's population was 74 in 1940.[18]

The Santa Fe Railway removed Riordan from its timetable in 1965, with the railroad buildings being removed thereafter.[3]

By the late 1960s, the community had fallen into ruin, with the Phoenix Arizona Republic reporting that there was little left at the site in 1969.[3]

See also

• Canyon Diablo, Arizona
• House Rock, Arizona

References

1. "Feature Detail Report for: Riordan". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. "Riordan (in Coconino County, AZ) Populated Place Profile". AZ Hometown Locator. Archived from the original on February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
3. Rees, Dave (January 7, 1969). "Rotting chips now where Riordan was". Phoenix Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. p. 33. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
4. "Riordan, Arizona Summit of the Arizona Divide - Elev. 7310' - University of Missouri - St. Louis Digital Library". dl.mospace.umsystem.edu. St. Louis, Missouri. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
5. Barnes, Will Croft (October 1, 2016). Arizona Place Names. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press. p. 364. ISBN 978-0-8165-3495-1.
6. "New Sawmill to Open at Riordan". The Coconino Sun. Flagstaff, Arizona. November 22, 1912. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
7. "New Post Office At Riordan". Flagstaff Coconino Sun. Flagstaff, Arizona. April 20, 1917. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
8. The Official Catholic Directory. New York, New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons. 1920. p. 634.
9. "Riordan Teacher Now At Home". Flagstaff Coconino Sun. Flagstaff, Arizona. August 4, 1916. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
10. "Rural Schoolma'ams". Flagstaff Coconino Sun. Flagstaff, Arizona. September 8, 1922. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
11. Case, C.O. (1913). Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Phoenix, Arizona: Arizona State Press. p. 51.
12. Premier Atlas of the World: Containing Maps of All Countries of the World, with the Most Recent Boundary Decisions, and Maps of All the States, Territories, and Possessions of the United States with Population Figures from the Latest Official Census Reports, Also Data of Interest Concerning International and Domestic Political Questions. Rand McNally & Company. 1925. p. 166. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
13. "School consolidation was voted down; three new schools asked for". Flagstaff Coconino Sun. Flagstaff, Arizona. August 29, 1924. p. 10. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
14. Case, C.O. (1926). Arizona Educational Directory. Tucson, Arizona: Reddington Company. p. 68.
15. "Instruments Recorded". Flagstaff Coconino Sun. Flagstaff, Arizona. August 27, 1926. p. 19. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
16. "Pathways of Old Memories". Arizona Daily Sun. Flagstaff, Arizona. July 9, 1959. p. 4. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
17. "Forest Fire Out". Winslow Mail. Winslow, Arizona. June 15, 1934. p. 7. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
18. The Attorneys List. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department. 1940. p. 88. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.