Established when the Northern Pacific Railway lines were built through the Willapa Valley in the late 1880s. When John Brophy, a pioneer settler, platted a town site, he erected a large sign on the property which read Menlo Park, in memory of his former home in Menlo Park, California. Railway employees cut the sign in half, leaving only Menlo. The original name given to this station by Northern Pacific officials was Preston. That name was dropped in favor of Menlo when it was found that another place with the same name was in King County. Located within a dairying center and the town was home of a large creamery and cheese factory.