Editing Yelm, Washington (section)

==History==
[[File:Cochrane Memorial Park, Yelm, Washington - On the dock.jpg|thumb|right|Cochrane Memorial Park]]

The word "Yelm" is said to come from the [[Coast Salish languages|Coast Salish]] word ''shelm'' or ''chelm'', meaning "heat waves from the sun",<ref name="Bright2004">{{cite book|last=Bright|first=William|author-link=William Bright|title=Native American placenames of the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&pg=PA580|access-date=April 11, 2011|year=2004|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0-8061-3598-4|page=580}}</ref> referring to heat [[mirage]]s.<ref name="History" />

The Yelm Prairie was originally inhabited by the [[Nisqually people|Nisqually]] and provided good pasture for their horses. The first permanent non-indigenous settlers came in 1853 to join the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] sheep farmers who already conducted business in the area.

[[James Longmire]], one of the first American settlers, said upon arriving in Yelm:
{{blockquote|Having received due notice from the Hudson Bay company not to settle on any lands north of the Nisqually River we crossed the river and went to Yelm prairie, a beautiful spot. I thought as it lay before us covered with tall waving grass, a pretty stream bordered with shrubs and tall trees, flowing through it, and the majestic mountain standing guard over all, in its snowy coat, it was a scene fit for an artist. Herds of deer wandered at leisure through the tall grass.<ref>{{cite web|title=Diary of James Longmire|url=http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/00.ar.longmire.html|date=October 10, 1853|access-date=September 27, 2009}}</ref>}}

With the coming of the [[Northern Pacific Railway]] in 1873, Yelm began to prosper, having found an outlet for its agricultural and forestry products. Its economic base was further enhanced when an irrigation company created the [[Yelm Ditch]] in 1916, making Yelm a center for commercial production of beans, cucumbers and berries.<ref name=History />

Yelm was incorporated on December 8, 1924.<ref name=History>''[http://www.ci.yelm.wa.us/history_of_yelm/ History of Yelm.]'' City of Yelm. Accessed on July 14, 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.sao.wa.gov/auditreports/auditreportfiles/ar1002188.pdf "City of Yelm: Thurston County."] ''Financial Statements and Federal Single Audit Report.'' Washington State Auditor's Office. January 21, 2009. Report No. 1002188. Page 27. Accessed on July 14, 2010.</ref>

During the [[Great Depression]], high maintenance costs and an unstructured water distribution plan bankrupted the Yelm Irrigation Company.{{Citation needed|reason=Interesting and potential notable fact but needs sourcing|date=January 2023}}

At the beginning of the 21st century, Yelm was the 10th fastest growing city in the state in regard to population.<ref name="Industry">{{cite web |title=City of Yelm Industrial District |url=https://yelmwa.gov/uploads/library/other/IndustrialAreaStudy.pdf |website=The City of Yelm |access-date=July 24, 2018}}</ref>