by C. L. Kyte (Independent, October 29, 1936)
Melville! One of the oldest towns in Foster county, located almost on the southern county line, and on highway 281 and 52, noted for its beautiful ladies, charming widows and amiable housewives. Its beautiful homes which all need paint, its well‑kept streets, festooned by Russian thistle, sweet clover and quack grass; its sightly cellar holes of former buildings, which we keep to show our former greatness. And of the men, all I need to say is that none of them has ever fallen in one of these former basements when going home after a wee bit too much of 3.2 or Montana dew.
We have a fine school and an efficient teacher. Church services and Sunday school every Sunday, two general stores, a hardware store, and three filling stations, an elevator, bulk oil station, and one of the best rummy and freeze‑out games in the state. Our town is also the headquarters of the celebrated Fixit Club. We also have two republicans who make their home here and are treated as equals by the rest of us. We have one of the finest township halls in Foster county, and the past few months a bulk oil station; a new post office and a city well have been completed. There is not an empty house in town.
On the second Wednesday of each month we have a community meeting and dance, which is largely attended and to give you an idea of our importance and popularity, when the democratic show wagon or "sound truck" or whatever they call it went through town it stopped two minutes and gave out one campaign button to the only person living in town who is not a citizen and has no vote. The Republicans ballyhoo wagon has not even called on us. But when you want a good time and wish to meet real people, come to Melville.
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 363