MELVINDALE
A Little City With A Big Heart
Contributed by Don McKinnon - Class of
51
Melvindale was once known as Oakwood Heights, it was named after Melvin Wilkinson. In 1924 a real estate company of Palmer and Flint bought up the farms to create a sub-division later to be Melvindale. In 1925 it was incorporated as a village and in 1932 it was incorporated as a city. On February 6, 1933 the voters approved a city charter.
Streets Ruth and Reed were named after Melvin’s children, they wanted
three children but only had the two so they named a street Prospect for the
third child they never had, also Palmer and Flint had streets named after them.
Other land owners were Herman Dasher which came Dasher Elementary School, also
Anton Kaier owner of the land called Kaier Sub, also Henry Quandt to whom the
high school (Melvindale) was named after.
The
total area of Melvindale is 2.72 square miles. The original dept of melvindale
was finally payed off in 1959 with a population at that time of 4,053.
One
of the things that bettered Melvindale is when Tom Cogan got elected Mayor for
eleven terms.