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Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Melba was established back in 1912. The Todd family purchased 160 acres of land. The town of Melba was established later. The Todd family was instrumental in the development of the valley. The name of Melba was named after his daughter "Melba Todd". To learn more about Melba, the Gardner hotel and several other historical points of interest, stop by the Melba Valley Museum. The museum is open starting in May through October on Saturday's only from 11 to 3.
Images
Melba Valley Historical Museum
The Gardner hotel
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The building where the Museum is in was originally a hotel owned by Gardner family. The Gardner family operated the hotel for many years. Mrs. Gardner and her daughter Iva Sturm built this in 1919. And the people who stayed there were guys who were working on the ditches, canals and building the roads and so forth. There was a dining room and kitchen on the first floor and then they had rooms upstairs. They were so busy in those years that you can see where they’ve added out the back and made 15 more rooms. In the 20's there was a building boom and these guys needed places to stay. The Gardner's gave them a place to stay while working on the many projects around the valley.
Sources
Madge Cook Wylie
Tina Montgomery Taylor