Merrillville is located on what used to be woodland that belonged to the Potawatomi Indians, a peace-loving nation of hunters and fishermen. In 1834, a clearing was created for ceremonial purposes and was called McGwinn Village. A year later, a white man by the name of Jeremiah Wiggins settled in the place; McGwinn Village thus gave way to Wiggins Point. http://www.townofmerrillville.com/town_history.html Under the name Wiggins Point, the place became a well-known stop for wagon trains heading to Joliet, Illinois. At one time, 16 trails radiated outward from Wiggins Point. In 1838, Wiggins died. Sometime afterwards, local settlers renamed the place Centerville. Later still, it was renamed Merrillville after the brothers Dudley and William Merrill. http://www.townofmerrillville.com/town_history.html Dudley Merrill operated a hotel and store in Centerville, and his son John P. Merrill was a Township Trustee. http://www.lowellpl.lib.in.us/merrill.htm Nearby, in the same former hunting grounds of the Potawatomi Indians, other settlements had sprung up. Near Deep River creek was a settlement named Deep River; near Turkey Creek was another settlement with that creek's name. Other settlements included Ainsworth, Lottaville, and Rexville. At one time, the post office for the area was named Lottaville. In 1848, all of these settlements, including Merrillville (that is, the old McGwinn Village) were collected into one and called Ross Township. As time went by, bits and pieces of Ross Township was taken by Hobart, IndianaHobart and Crown Point, IndianaCrown Point when those towns incorporated. In 1971, the area officially became Merrillville (which now includes the old Merrillville as well as other settlements nearby) and was incorporated as a town under Indiana law. http://www.townofmerrillville.com/town_history.html At one time, Merrillville was known as the Largest Town in the US, with that distinction now going to Gilbert, Arizona. In 1993, a large area along US30, east of Mississippi St and west of Indiana 51 was annexed by the neighboring city of Hobart, IndianaHobart. The residents of this area, although living in unincorporated Ross Township, associated themselves with Merrillville. This is due to the fact that they were served by Merrillville schools and Post Office. To this day, many business owners here do not acknowledge that they no longer lie within the town. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrillville%2C_Indiana