Northern Arizona Pioneers Historical Society

Northern Arizona Pioneers' Historical Society - "Friends" of Pioneer Museum and Riordan Mansion.

Type "Riordan" or "Pioneer" in the dedication box as you make your donation to specify the use of funds. Donations without a dedication will be split between the two sites. Thank you so much for your support. With your donation, you are literally making history!

Funds raised last year helped the Pioneer Museum build the block foundation for the historic Gregg cabin. So far this year, NAPHS has provided funds to erect the walls and build the roof. It is a race against Mother Nature to get the cabin winterized. Help is needed.

At Riordan Mansion, funds are being used on various projects around the house and grounds. A house that is over 100 years old is in frequent need of TLC. Donations this year will support ongoing preservation needs and many other worthwhile projects. Our presence is preserving our past!

Who we are and what we've done:

In May of 1905 a group of Flagstaff citizens got together and organized the Pioneers Society of Northern Arizona. Their goal was to "fully and reliably perpetuate the memory of the early times and early incidents of the Pioneer days of Northern Arizona." Over the next few decades they gathered historical accounts of those early times and sponsored evening speakers and annual picnics.

Today the organization is known as the Northern Arizona Pioneers' Historical Society (NAPHS).

Some significant NAPHS events:

     • 1960:  Purchase of the old Coconino County Hospital

     • 1963:  First floor of the hospital open as a museum

     • 1967:  Second floor, barn and 1908 Doney Cabin open   to the public

     • 1988:  Purchased Santa Fe Caboose # 99945

     • 1994:  Relocation of the Baldwin Locomotive #12 from Fort Tuthill to the museum grounds

     • 2010:  Partnership formed with Riordan Action Network, saving Riordan Mansion from closure

NAPHS continues to support numerous preservation projects around the Pioneer Museum. At the top of the list is the restoration of the historic Gregg Cabin which was recently dismantled and moved from its original Cheshire location to the Pioneer Museum, where it waits beneath a tarp to be reassembled.

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The Riordan Action Network is a grassroots organization dedicated to the preservation of Riordan Mansion State Historic Park in Flagstaff, Arizona. This group of private citizens from Arizona and other states formed in 2009 when severe state-level budget cuts threatened closure of the park. Riordan Mansion was slated for closure in 2010. A collaborative partnership was formed between Arizona State Parks, the Arizona Historical Society and Riordan Action Network (RAN), along with RAN's fiscal agent, the Northern Arizona Pioneers' Historical Society.

Riordan Mansion is financially self-sufficient. Funding to operate and maintain the mansion comes from donations, admissions, gift shop sales, special events and grants.

Every dollar raised by RAN through regular donations from patrons or through periodic fundraising events is used directly for the park. 

In addition to providing funding to keep the park open, to fund routine and emergency maintenance, and to preserve artifacts, RAN is committed to increasing outreach to schools to help students of all ages learn more about Flagstaff and Arizona history through the stories that come alive in the mansion. 

Riordan Action Network has contributed over $10,000 towards park operations during the slow winter months. RAN has also contributed $8,000 to the much-needed roof replacement on the east wing. RAN regularly assists with minor maintenance bills, printing costs and publicity.

There are maintenance and preservation projects on the horizon that we need help with:

•Move and restore the gatekeeper's cabin for use in historical interpretation and park events.

•Replace the current perimeter fencing for increased security.

•Update the fire sprinkler system.

•Replace the worn porch decking.

•Replace the furnaces.

This is just a sampling of our priority projects. The maintenance list is continual and lengthy, as is expected with any historic home.

**If you would like to designate your donation to either Pioneer Museum or Riordan Mansion, do so in the dedication box.**

Thank you so much for your support. Our past depends on it!