Editing Sumas, Washington (section)

==History==
The area was home to the [[Nooksack Indians]] in the millennia prior to the arrival of the first permanent settler Robert Johnson in 1872.  
<ref name = "HistoryLink">{{cite web |last=Dougherty |first=Phil |date=November 5, 2009 |title=Sumas — Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/file/9204 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |accessdate=August 21, 2022}}</ref> It was called "Sumas" meaning "land without trees"<ref name = "HistoryLink"/> or "big flat opening."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bcafn.ca/first-nations-bc/lower-mainland-southwest/sumas-first-nation |title=Sumas First Nation |publisher=British Columbia Assembly of First Nations |accessdate=August 22, 2022}}</ref>  It is derived from a [[Cowichan Tribes|Cowichan tribe]] who also resided in the region.<ref name="OriginNames">{{cite book |last=Meany |first=Edmond S. |title=Origin of Washington geographic names |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015027074981;view=1up;seq=312 |year=1923 |publisher=University of Washington Press |location=Seattle |page=296 |via=[[HathiTrust]]}}</ref><ref name = "HistoryLink"/>

Originally called "Sumas City,"<ref name = "HistoryLink"/> the town was officially incorporated on June 18, 1891.<ref name = "HistoryLink"/><ref name="Incorporation">{{cite web |url=http://www.mrsc.org/library/inctable.aspx |title=Cities and Towns, State of Washington Dates of Incorporation, Disincorporation, and Changes of Classification |publisher=[[Municipal Research and Services Center]] |access-date=February 25, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126032207/http://www.mrsc.org/library/inctable.aspx |archive-date=November 26, 2013}}</ref> A post office with that name has been in operation since 1897.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?state=WA |title=Post Offices |publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | access-date=25 August 2016}}</ref>

The town was a railroad hub and briefly supported the [[Mount Baker Gold Rush]],<ref name = "HistoryLink"/> with some gold mining operations still ongoing in the area such as at [[Boundary Red Mountain Mine|Lone Jack Mine]].  It was also known for a large [[rodeo]] in the early 20th Century, the "Sumas Roundup."<ref name = "HistoryLink"/>

The area around Sumas drains into the [[Fraser River]] in Canada, in a broad floodplain. Floods from the [[Nooksack River|Nooksack]] and [[Fraser River|Fraser]] rivers have been recorded ever since the area was settled.<ref name = "HistoryLink"/><ref name = "NooksackFloods">{{cite web |title=Whatcom County, Lower Nooksack River Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan, Nooksack River Flood History |url=https://www.whatcomcounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/25543/Nooksack-River-Flood-History?bidId= |pages=1, 8 |date=June 1995 |publisher=KCM, Inc. |location=Seattle, Washington |accessdate=August 21, 2022}}</ref>  Although not the largest flood to have occurred prior to 1990, the November 10 flood received notoriety as it caused millions of dollars in damage.<ref name = "HistoryLink"/><ref name = "NooksackFloods"/>

On November 15, 2021, another [[November 2021 Pacific Northwest floods|regional flood event]] resulted in catastrophic flooding in Sumas. Approximately 85 percent of homes in the city were damaged and hundreds of residents were rescued after a partial evacuation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clarridge |first=Christine |date=November 17, 2021 |title=Sumas residents turn to repairs as officials monitor flooding in Canada |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/weather/sumas-residents-turn-to-repairs-as-as-officials-monitor-flooding-in-canada/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=November 18, 2021}}</ref>