Riddle is a city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. Take a look below for 15 crazy and fun facts about Riddle, Oregon, United States.
1. The population was 1,185 at the 2010 census.
2. Riddle was founded by John Bouseman Riddle, the son of William H. Riddle, for whom the town was named.
3. William H. Riddle was a native of Springfield, Illinois, who settled in the area in 1851.
4. By 1881, the Southern Pacific Railroad line south of Roseburg had a station here called “Riddlesburg”, which was changed to “Riddles” in 1882 and to “Riddle” in 1889.
5. A post office at this location opened under the name of “Riddles” in 1882 and was changed to “Riddle” in 1910.
6. J. B. Riddle purchased a land claim from J.Q.C. VanDenbosch at the age of nineteen in the year 1863.
7. In 1869, Riddle sold 140.5 acres of his claim to his brother, Abner. When the railroad came through, it passed between the brothers’ properties.
8. J.B. took advantage of the opportunity afforded by the railroad and changed his profession to business from farming. He and his second wife, Mary Catching, built a hotel in what would become the city of Riddle, where J.B. opened several small eating houses to Medford, Oregon along the tracks.
9. Riddle is about 25 miles (40 km) south of Roseburg and 220 miles (350 km) south of Portland.
10. It lies about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Oregon Route 99 (Interstate 5) at an elevation of about 700 feet (210 m) above sea level. Cow Creek flows by Riddle before entering the nearby South Umpqua River.
11. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.63 square miles (1.63 km2), all of it land.
12. Riddle has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) according to the Köppen climate classification system. Summers are cool during the mornings but become hot by afternoon, whilst winters are chilly, if not severe, and rainy.
13. During hot spells in the summer, there are 28 afternoons reaching over 90 °F or 32.2 °C and three afternoons over 100 °F or 37.8 °C, although only five mornings have ever stayed at or above 68 °F or 20 °C. The hottest afternoon has been 111 °F (43.9 °C) on June 27, 2021, and the hottest morning 72 °F (22.2 °C) on June 28, 2015.
14. The Riddle area was known for nickel mining, with several square miles of nickel-bearing garnierite surface deposits nearby. The mine closed in 1987.
15. The Riddle School District provides primary and secondary public education in the city. The district operates Riddle Elementary School and Riddle Junior/Senior High School.
