Today I'm here in
the City of Mellen.
One of only two cities
in all of Ashland County,
exploring the community
and learning about it
from the 1896 Town
Hall and Museum right here
on the corner of Highway 13
to the library down here
to the park system,
rivers and trails and more.
And the community
is very involved here.
And I'm going to find out
how.
So Gwen, we're in
what is now Mellen City Hall
and the police station.
But this building
which dates back to 1896
and is kind of the
centerpiece of town,
has a fascinating history.
And standing on this
second floor, I can tell.
This room's been used
for a lot of purposes
through the years.
It has it is now
the museum since 1976.
In the earlier days,
it was used for dances,
for basketball
games, basketball,
basketball in this room.
All kinds of entertainment.
The social center
of the city.
Well, it's
a beautiful building for it.
And now in the museum,
of course, you have
all these great artifacts
and
all these different elements
through history,
including a movie
that was filmed here
back in 1962,
a little adaptation
of a Hemingway book,
Paul Newman here,
and Jessica Tandy,
part of that history
showcased here.
Many, many, many
hundreds of Mellen
citizens were extras.
I mean, I've talked to
people who were in it.
The railroads came in
and we have some tributes
to the railroad.
We have tribute to logging.
Wood products has been huge.
The black granite
quarries were big.
World War One through
current times, two
people died at Iwo Jima.
You know, so famous things
that we're used to hearing
from history books.
It's Mellen history.
We're going to try to do
a little
freshening up as time goes
on, try to get more
young people involved,
because history isn't
just what was, it's what is.
Keep following our history
because it continues.
Now, Gwen, a museum
like this
great for visitors,
but it's also good
for the community
it showcases the history,
seems to kind of galvanize
the community as a whole.
It is the community.
Community
is what makes up Mellen
in every aspect.
No community, no Mellen.
So Jennie,
this is
a great little library.
Seven year old me
just wants to read
all of these books.
But historically,
this dates back to
around World War One.
in Mellen.
August
Rohloff was a logger near
death, and his doctor
asked him
what he would like to do
with his legacy that he had.
He decided he wanted
to donate it to the town.
They decided that
they would build
the library.
I'm seeing a cool
space out here
that's multiple tiered
and then it looks
like there space
outside for events.
We have been busy
adding on an outdoor space
that was part of
our original plan, very new.
Our community loves
the library and loves
the whole idea of libraries.
People donated wood,
they donated
granite to decorate.
They donated their time
and their expertize.
We had a bunch of
volunteers that came in
and built
the tiered seating.
Last week
they were out there
and we're dedicated
to getting
that space done for us.
This is nice.
It has that new tiered
seat smell. Yeah.
So that's good.
We're always
looking for new books.
I always say that
picture books are wonderful
because I love reading
the picture books.
And we also have 1000 books
before kindergarten,
which is a program
to get kids
started reading early.
The earlier they read,
the more they are
ready for school
and have
better language skills.
We also have a little free
library, out at Gilman Park.
It's
kind of all tied together
with the North Country
Trail, which travels
in front of the library.
So there's a picnic area
for people there.
They can stop by.
We have wi fi on 24 seven.
We also have
bathroom facilities.
They can
then travel through town,
stop at the museum,
and then on through
Gilman Park.
It's
a wonderful place to visit.
So the library here
in Mellen is not only
a library full of books
for kids, it's
a travel resource.
We aim to work with people
and offer services
that they're looking for and
information that they need.
It
just gets really
pleasant here.
Dr. Gilman Park.
I saw his picture
in the pavilion.
So who's Dr. Gilman?
Because I understand
he did something
extraordinary during a flood
in the forties here. Dr.
Gilman was a general care
doctor in Mellen
known
as the People's Doctor.
Dr.
Gilman used to frequent
the park on walks
on his down time.
In 1949,
Mellen was hit with a flood.
The town was in devastation
from the flood,
and the doctor felt
the need to take a cigar
box full of medical bills
that the
patients accumulated
and throw them
into the bad river
and told the people
he was
washing the dead away.
So in appreciation
for that, Dr.
Gilman now has this
park named after him.
And what are you working on
with the park now?
Right now
we're going through a park
improvement project.
We are looking to
develop the park
for our community
and also for visitors.
We are looking to
incorporate a walking trail
and develop
a small campground site
so people will have
the opportunity to come
spend time in the park,
stay overnight, enjoy
just the beauty that
Mellen has to offer.
So if people come to
this park,
they can camp
along the River,
which goes
right through town,
all the way up
to Lake Superior, goes
through Copper Falls
State Park.
It's a very relaxing place
and it's really in
the heart of town
along Highway 13 right here.
Yes, absolutely.
We actually get
a lot of visitors
come through Mellen
from all
different directions.
It's really become
a focal point for
the center of the town.
You know, it's really great
to check out and learn more
about the community
of Mellen today.
All the stories.
All the history.
The city hall. The museum.
Getting to ring the bell,
going to the library,
the park system.
It's impressive to see
how the community comes
together, works together,
and builds things together.
And not only that,
Mellen is the gateway
to Copper Falls State Park,
which is, in my opinion,
one of the
most beautiful state
parks in the state.
So I'm going to stay here,
enjoy the beauty of the
river and the sunset.