Most of Riddle was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1959. Its Register listing is the Will Q. Brown House and Wash House. Its Register listing is the Will Q. Brown House and Wash House. Below: 2 old photos and papers from 1993 on.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1882.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Riddle’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Riddle is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Riddle’s overall grade.
Oregon towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oregon town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Riddle’s 20.9 sits above most of its state (81% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.5 points). Two sources give 1893.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Riddle’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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 Railroad line south of 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.
Riddle’s post office has been open since 1910. Another post office, Riddles, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Riddles
1882–1910
Riddle
1910–today
18801950today
Gone or out of use
Riddle First Church of Godchurch
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Riddle’s history
What year was Riddle founded?
In 1893, according to Wikidata. Riddle’s post office opened in 1882.
How does Riddle rank for history?
Riddle is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Riddle?
One place: the Will Q. Brown House and Wash House (listed 1987).
How old are the homes in Riddle?
9% of Riddle’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1959.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1993
2023
2019
