Denis Matthew Riordan Obituary:
Coconino Sun - July 20, 1928

D. M. Riordan, brother of T. A.
Riordan and M. J. Riordan of Flagstaff
and who preceded them in the ownership
of the Arizona Lumber & timber Co.
mill here, died at his home in San
Francisco on Thursday of last week,
aged 80 years. 

The new of death was sorrowfully
received here by those who had known
and loved Mr. Riordan in the early
days of Flagstaff, during which he and
Mrs. Riordan took and active,
sympathetic part in the social life
and he was always ready and generous
with assistance to others and active
in furthering the best interests of
the community. 

D. M. Riordan was born in Troy, New
York, June 26, 1848, his parents
moving to Chicago by water around the
Lakes before any railroad was
completed, and landing in Chicago in
October, 1852. He enlisted in the army
four times but each time failed
because of age, but on the fifth
enlistment in his sixteenth year he
got to Kentucky. He received an
honorable discharge but re-enlisted,
serving in Tennessee and Georgia, and
was finally discharged at Memphis in
1865, after Lee's surrender. After the
war he went to work for the Rock
Island Railroad Company as a brakemen,
for a few months, and upon leaving the
railroad went to work as shipping
clerk for Palmer & Leiter, which
afterwards became Marshall Field &
company, remaining with them until the
fall of 1868 when he came west, being
then 20 years of age. 

He landed at Bear River, Wyoming,
working as a carpenter on the Union
Pacific, and finally reaching Echo
City in Utah. After working there for
some time he landed in the white pine
district of Nevada, where he fell in
with the mining boom, and finally
arrived in Virginia City, Nevada, in
May of 1869, where he became connected
with H. M. Yernigton, owner of the
Virginia & Truckee Railroad company,
of which he subsequently became
superintendent. He remained in
Virginia City and Bodie in various
capacities, managing mines and mills,
until about 1880, when he came to
Arizona and took up some mining
properties at Bisbee, finally going to
Prescott, where he became associated
with Governor Tritle in mining
explorations in Arizona. 

Subsequently, at the request of
governor Tritle, he became agent for
the Navajo Indians at Ft. Defiance. He
remained there only a couple of years,
during which time he went through many
exciting experiences and received the
highest public commendation of the
then secretary of the interior, Henry
M. Teller of Colorado. While agent for
the Navajos, Mr. Ayer, who had
established a sawmill at Flagstaff in
1881, wished to get a manager of his
interests and selected Mr. Riordan,
who came to Flagstaff in charge of Mr.
Ayer's interests in 1883. 

About 1887 Mr. Ayer decided to dispose
of his interests in Arizona and made
satisfactory arrangements with Mr.
Riordan to this end, Mr. Riordan
taking over and becoming the sole
owner of Mr. Ayer's interests. Thus it
was that he saw practically the
beginnings of the town of Flagstaff
and took and important part in its
development from that time until 1897,
when he in turn disposed of his
interests here and became associated
with Mr. Ripley in an uncompleted
railroad from Macon to Savannah in
Georgia, in which undertaking it fell
to his lot to make a pretty complete
reconnaissance of the southern states
from Washington to Tampa, and as far
west as Texas. He did not, however,
tie himself down to the railroad
proposition but through his connection
with it became identified with General
Electric company of New York, being
put in charge of their mining
investments and developments, in the
course of which his work extended from
Mexico to northern California and all
the intermediate country, and had in
his hands to a large extent the
development of some of the important
mines of the country, particularly
those in the Shasta district of
California. 

Mr. Riordan remained connected with
the General Electric company for many
years, until he decided finally after
the age of 70, to settle down in San
Francisco, which he had always
considered to be his real home. He
enjoyed the tranquility of retirement
for the final summons, which came in
July 12, just about two weeks after
his eightieth birthday. 

His wife, who was well known to the
old timers of Flagstaff, died a number
of years ago, and by this marriage
were left his only children, three
girls, Helen, Marie and Elizabeth, all
married and settled in various parts
of California and British Columbia.
His first great grandchild was born at
Calgary, in British Columbia, on June
14, of this year.