Editing Riddle, Oregon (section)

==History==

Riddle was founded by John Bouseman Riddle, the son of William H. Riddle, for whom the town was named. William H. Riddle was a native of [[Springfield, Illinois]], who settled in the area in 1851. By 1881, the [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific Railroad]] line south of [[Roseburg, Oregon|Roseburg]] had a station here called "Riddlesburg", which was changed to "Riddles" in 1882 and to "Riddle" in 1889. A [[post office]] at this location opened under the name of "Riddles" in 1882 and was changed to "Riddle" in 1910.<ref name="OGN">{{cite book | last = McArthur | first = Lewis A. | author-link = Lewis A. McArthur |author2=Lewis L. McArthur |author2-link=Lewis L. McArthur | title = [[Oregon Geographic Names]] | orig-year = 1928 | edition = 7th| year = 2003 | publisher = [[Oregon Historical Society]] Press | location = Portland, Oregon| isbn = 0-87595-277-1 | page = 810}}</ref>

J. B. Riddle purchased a land claim from J.Q.C. VanDenbosch at the age of nineteen in the year 1863. 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. 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.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pioneer Days in the South Umpqua Valley|last=The South Umpqua Historical Society|publisher=Umpqua Free Press|year=1984|location=Myrtle Creek, Oregon|pages=25–32}}</ref>

A community recreation center was added to the town in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title='It's Riddle's Time:' Habitat for Humanity project may help a small city grow |url=https://www.opb.org/article/2024/01/29/riddle-oregon-habitat-for-humanity-homes-houses-building/#:~:text=Habitat%20for%20Humanity%20will%20use,of%20the%20lack%20of%20housing. |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=opb |language=en}}</ref>