Michael Sullivan was the Historic Preservation Planner for the Whatcom County Park and Recreation Board. He was instrumental in carrying out both the Whatcom County Historical Preservation Survey and the Vintage Bellingham Survey. Both projects were aimed at identifying sites in Whatcom County that could be designated for historical preservation status on the county register.

During his career, Mr. Sullivan also produced a large collection of research and reference notes on the history of Whatcom County places and pioneers, much of which was donated with the other materials in this collection. His research records include historic manuscript material including Henry Roeder diaries, 1850-1878; Fairhaven folktales of Dirty Dan Harris; early histories of Mt. Baker National Forest, Point Roberts, Ferndale and Bellingham.