8 The News-Review, Roteburg. Or. Thur. Feb. 23, 1956
Growth Of Riddle Came
In Three Major Stages
MOST SPECTACULAR INDUSTRY in the Riddle area is the Hanna nickel mining and iJf-'LS V j Vj MM, feMW
smelting operation The company ,s still developing to mine the biggest nickel ore . i V y -C)V, &&H& fl!WSA'
operation in th. United States. The company this year expects to have two mora smelters t A'- 3 "-A ' ,4 ' i X-ti " 'VKZ m5vSi t'lTI-r '
in operation. It now hos two ' -""t , V J ' ffJ&'H J'' C 7 W f
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AWESOME TITLE of municipal administration building is tagged to Riddle's new city
holl, now under construction . The exterior of the building and upstairs quarters for fire
men hove not been completed.
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Al Tin,!
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RIDDLE FROM THE AIR This Delano Aerial a three mile radius of the city are 10 lumber and area, drawing a monthly payroll of $600,000,
Surveys aerial photograph shows one of the plywood mills and the M. A. Hanna Co. nickel according to Fred Scheffel, city superintendent.
county s tastest growing areas. Kiddle. Within operation, borne 1,UUU men are empioyea in tne
By PAUL JENKINS
The lower Cow Creek valley in
which the town of Kiddle lies was
.settled by white people in 1851, the m
first family, that nt William ji.
Kiddle, coming in the spring of
that year.
The Riddlei were prolific as
well as noted people, and as the
years rolled by strangers who
were taeuui never spone aeroga
lorily ot anyone in the valley,
knowing full well they might be
speaking of a relative of the per
son they were addressing at the
time.
The growth of the town of Rid
dle has been indexed by a series
of three spas ins, the first induced i
NEW HOMES are th Riddle area's biggesr need now with the booming of industry
there. The Hanna company even had to build five homes for its company officials in
Riddle. Also, recently built is the twin Oaks Addition, but even these two proiects failed
to alleviate the need. "You just can't find a place here", said Fred Scheftel, city
superintendent.
IS
.... !
a,l4"' -tfr-V-t'-i-'f'ifi r- ' --Vnminrriwuin , -' - ; 'f 'm;x J ",-V.f.'..' l. ' I. , j ...)... "v- . v;twi
bv the coming of the Oregon and I 19
California railroad in 18S2, with its i
attendant influx of railroad con
struction workers. Members of the
Kiddle family, of course, owned
and donated the land for the town
site and the O & C obligingly
named the town in their honor.
These were truly wild and wooly
times, spoken o( to this day by its
old timers in tones of awe, if not
of reverence.
With the passing of the railroad
construction gangs Kiddle settled
down to a placid growth, support
ed by agriculture and bolstered
with hope for the future. This hope
was justified, but was hooked to
a very slow burning fuse. Nearly
til) years were to elapse before Kid
dle really was to prosper, in the
best sense of that word.
The coming of this prosperity, in
terms far beyond the imagination
of even the most hopeful boosters
of the region, occurred immediate
ly afler the end of World War 11
with the advent of the sawmilling
industry. It was responsible for
growth spasm No. 2 and shook Rid
dle to its very foundations.
The town had good foundations,
however, capable of supporting tha
many problems encountered in
sudden and tremendous population
Sawmills soon dotted the nearby ff; V J
aiKiscaue i oei eve mere now are :r j ?
about 15 within a two or three
mile radius and hundreds
workers came, were housed (even
tually) and furnished with power
cipa! services so necessary, but so K4Xt2f -'f
1 i ... j . v
u.tm in aimctc aim nj mi.
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K1 I ll'
THE LUMBER INDUSTRY is still the mainstay of the
Riddle area economy. Ten mills, including the big Harbor
Plywood operation, are located within a three-mile rodius
r
L4
ira to acnieve and pay lor. 1 f&Vft v-y" "vt- t
The third spasm manifested it-' f t
If when the great industrial firm r'V "jTT?'
lianna exploited the nickel-bear-1 L- -Sa -S.; .
of Riddle. Aoov is poet of the Riddle Lumber Manufat
turing Co lumber mill near Riddle
m-mm
of lianna exploited the nickel
mg ores so abundant near the
town. Three years ago this or
ganization begun erection of a
plant for its nunhg and smelt
ing running into a figure popularly
quoted as 28 million dollars. Some
;iiH) men have been employed there
local brliof that with th. addition I ONE WAY BRIDGES ore o bone to Riddles entries ond
of two new furnaces now ready for exits One of these is the Cow Creek Bridge above. All
me, future labor needs will double j bridges connecting Riddle with the rest of the county
" . , ! ore one way. However, the county will soon repuiid the
inee per loaf 01 acu . Rro n. nr,,, k,iH ., mnk. it a twn-wov soon arenrdina ta
Supt. Scheftel.
AJ m if'TWC Kill
v 3 iS V'l 1 1 m Vf- II. '..11
W':f taiit
in Kiddle's history have been spok
en of as "spasms" because of the
sinxularly rapid and almost ungov
ernable nature or thetr appearanc
ENTRY TO NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is shown above.
With the rapidly growing population, the city's school
system was desperately in need of new school facilities.
A comparatively small bond issue, however, was defeated
BUSINESS EXPANSION follows population increose and Riddle is an example. Above
is the new plant of the Clark Linder oil consignee The plant has a new office, new
tank filling unit, and new paved area as tie result ot the expanded business of the
area.
il..... .......nflin. .Nr. Thnir nal.l Riddle met thfP morODnripi I
es. Kach called for the display of t,,rn nas become more or less fam-' increasing determination which! by trie voters until a citizen's advisory committee was
necuc ana leverisn eoersy on inc ,,ar o , an; The providing of ' rapidly u overcoming in many formed to investigate. As the result of the investiaation-
part of public - spirited residents soh,wi faeilitie for an unprecent-1 difficult problems encountered. Riddle voters approved a $265,000 bond issue to build
who were entrusted with th. han-!ei1 nmnivr o( ch,ldren. water syi-'The people there are entitled to I ne.w ,,hool Puoils ore .xrvrtpH tT . Z
dim of municipal affairs. ..,,, ,ey,.w disposal, iiuht and take a bow from each municipal-! ne FT , u o i?fct ,0 sfort USinn
Of course, living in Douglani power, street improvement and . ity in the county. They have earn- ot the building by Morcn y. I h drummer in the picture
county u yon do, yom know what' maintenance, proper policing, tlc.ied tribute, the hard way. 1 above is Mike Kucker.
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