Archives and Partnerships
In 1887, Denis Riordan purchased the Ayer Mill in Flagstaff, Arizona and established the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company (ALTC). Not interested in running it alone, he invited his brothers, Michel and Timothy, to partner with him in Flagstaff to help him run the new business. Their partnership endured fires, transfers in control, and the Depression. It also enjoyed rousing successes. Now many ALTC documents and photographs are part of similarly important partnership between Special Collections and the Arizona Historical Society (AHS). The Arizona Lumber and Timber Company Collection in the archives complements the much larger manuscript collection of ALTC materials held by AHS. Both collections rest under one roof in Cline Library, maintained by Special Collections archivists and staff with equal care.
Arizona Lumber and Timber Company sawmill and buildings, 1890, Arizona Lumber and Timber Company Manuscript Collection, AHSND.PH.667.9, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.
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Arizona Lumber and Timber Company price list for Arizona Pine, 1930-1931, Arizona Lumber and Timber Company Manuscript Collection, AHSNS.MS.47, Box 737, Price Lists 1917-1931, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona. |
Arizona Lumber and Timber Company receipt for T.A. Riordan for $50.00, January 2, 1915, Arizona Lumber and Timber Company Manuscript Collection, AHSNS.MS.47, Box 62-64 of 1192, Journal Cash Vouchers 1914-1915, Cline Library Special Collections and Archives, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona. |
While the ALTC materials held by both Special Collections and the AHS stand out for their sheer size and breadth, the archives also stores a host of other AHS photographic and manuscript collections as part of an agreement to consolidate maerials and resources. Patrons are the winners, with easy and often digital access to northern Arizona resources in one place.
Arizona Lumber and Timber Company, drying lumber at the lumber yard, 1890.
Special Collections also maintains materials owned by the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office and other groups through similar agreements. Moreover, as archives across the nation increasingly digitize, Cline Library archivists pursue opportunities to join forces with other institutions to provide greater access to the public. Consolidated online search engines, like Arizona Archives Online, and cooperative digitization ventures, such as the Arizona Memory Project, highlight some of the innovative ways the archives utilizes partnerships, as well as technology.
Hopi cattle sale, October 1953, Keams Canyon, Arizona.
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Links
Arizona Historical Society
Hopi Cultural Preservation Office
Arizona Memory Project
Arizona Archives Online
Museum of Northern Arizona
Off Set
The archives tries to maintain a presence outside of its vault. Archivists and staff members attend conferences and develop relationships with colleagues in other departments or at other institutions. Just as important, Special Collections supports academic and community development programs. Most recently, the archives co-sponsored with the Grand Canyon Association the Conversations on the Edge and Canyon Country Community lecture series held at Cline Library. Search Cline Library's online catalog to find more information, including recordings of individual lectures, or visit the Grand Canyon Association's Lecture Series Video Archive
Additional Images
Digitized Collections
Arizona Lumber and Timber Company Collection
Milton Snow Collection