The village of Melia grew up around a Burlington Railroad station established just north of here in 1902. The station, which served as a cattle shipping point, was named for John J. Melia, on whose land it was located. In 1903, John J. Melia opened a grocery and general store and Tom Coleman built an elevator. The next year Alan Woods built a hardware store and T.W. Langdon opened a hotel and bar. A blacksmith shop and livery stable came later. Melia had a post office from 1905 to 1910.
When the Omaha, Lincoln, and Denver (O.L.D.) highway was designated about 1913, the route passed through Melia and the village seemed likely to grow. U.S. Highway 6, the successor to the O.L.D., bypassed Melia. Although the village has disappeared, the name is perpetuated at this rest area, which is known as Melia Hill.
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