From 1906 to 1913, he worked on the team assigned to survey the Alaska-Canada border and advanced from the position of surveyor to become the United States Engineer-in-Charge.

[1] Following his work surveying the Alaska-Canada border, on May 4, 1914, Riggs was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to the Alaskan Railroad Commission.

[1] United States Secretary of the Interior Franklin Knight Lane was impressed by Riggs' experience and recommended his appointment as Governor of Alaska Territory to President Woodrow Wilson.

[1] Transportation was a major problem within the territory, with Riggs believing private shipping firms were providing unfair and inadequate service to Alaska.

[7] In response to the flu's arrival, Riggs established a cordon sanitaire on all trails to the interior, but unfortunately the couriers carrying announcements of the quarantine may have also spread the disease.

[9] This left hundreds of orphans and entire villages whose populations were unable to perform basic activities such as prepare meals or chop firewood.

In response, Riggs exceeded authorized funding levels in his spending on medical supplies, maintaining the quarantine, and providing relief efforts.

The territory's financial situation was further complicated when a request for a US$200,000 special allocation was cut in half by the U.S. Senate and rejected completely by the U.S. House of Representatives.