The story
Read it all →How Melba came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Melba.
Melba was founded in 1912 by Clayton C. Todd, who named it after his daughter.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Melba
Melba dates to 1912, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940
Its Register listing is the Melba I.O.OF. Lodge Hall. Its Register listing is the Melba I.O.OF. Lodge Hall. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1940.
1912founded
1on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Melba began
When was Melba founded?
1912
Melba dates its founding to 1912 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1940.
First census: 213 in 19402020 census: 572114 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1916.The full story ↓
What stands out about Melba’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Melba’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Melba’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Timeline
Melba, 1892 to 1916
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1892
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 20th century
- 1912FoundingMelba is established
- 1916Post officeThe Melba post office opens
By decade
Melba, decade by decade
Today16 recent
2022Guffey Bridge Panoramic photo
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202220220313-FPAC-KS-0001 TONED
2012Melba, Idaho
2012Melba, Idaho
2012Melba, Idaho
2012Melba, Idaho
2012Melba, Idaho
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2012Melba city hall melba idaho 2012-10-01
2004IDMap-doton-MelbaOn the map
Melba on the map, 1892 to 1986
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Melba. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1892Silver City sheet · 1:125,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Melba.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Melba
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2024
Melba I.O.OF. Lodge Hall
Buildings
All 1 listings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Melba, census by census
Grew from 213 people in 1940 to 572 in 2020.
9 censuses, 1940–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Melba’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Melba
Nobody well known was born in Melba itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Questions about Melba’s history
What year was Melba founded?
In 1912, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Melba’s post office opened in 1916, and the census of 1940 counted 213 people here.
What is on the National Register in Melba?
One place: the Melba I.O.OF. Lodge Hall (listed 2024).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (16), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via 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.