Jessica: How long was your school year? I know that it’s 180 now, but there must have been more time off?
Dillard: We started right after Labor Day and we always got out the last of May. Usually around May 29. Yeah, because I don’t think we had any spring vacation. But, yeah, we always got [...]

Washington Standard
P. B. Van Trump, who can date reasonably far back as a pioneer of our city-say nearly forty years-who for a couple or more decades now was the “Nasby” of Yelm, now residing in Seattle, visited his old time home last Saturday, and found a few friends remaining, who knew him in the days [...]

Washington Standard
O Yes, Mr., Editor, I nearly forgot one of the speakers at the goldbug rally, and that was P. B. Van Trump of Yelm.  He told how the Democratic party had run off and left him away out here in the wood, and you could almost see the tears running down his cheeks.  The [...]

News Of the Week
Nisqually Valley News
January 7, 1943
On Tuesday 14 pupils were absent from the McKenna school due to illness, mostly due to mumps, with few cases of measles.

The Nisqually Valley News
September 19th, 1940
Miss Dorothy Kniffen entertained Tuesday night at the M.J. Gruber home, honoring the four nef [new] teachers. Guests were the women teachers and the faculty wives. The game of Yatchet was played throughout the evening, honors going to Mrs. O.L. Montgomery and Miss Morgan.

LIMA BEANS ARE HARVESTED
The Nisqually Valley News
September 19th, 1940
This week saw the first of Yelm’s new crop, lima beans, harvested and threshed. The beans are turning out fairly good for a first year crop. The yields have been from 500 pounds to a ton to the acre. The culture and fertilization of the beans is [...]

Nisqually Valley News
September 31st, 1940
School opens for the new year next Monday morning at 8:45. The school buses will run the same routes and schedules as at the close of school last spring. Students do not ned [need] to bring lunches for the first day. The second day of school, Tuesday, will be a [...]

The Forest School was part of the Yelm School District by 1915.  Located on the corner of 143rd SE and Vail Road the building still stands and is known as the Deschutes Grange.  From this picture one can see the closed bell tower that was always part on the small schools of the era.  Located [...]

J. C. Conine was part of the American rural tradition.  In Ohio, Iowa, and Washington he lived in the countryside on a farm.  That scene in America was becoming less prominent during his lifetime, but his was never an urban life.  In Yelm, farming would be the major source of employment during Conine’s life there.  [...]

Introduction: Chester Biesen worked as a teacher for only a short time in this area. He worked at both the Lackamas and the Yelm Schools. This short interlude as an educator was only a small part of his long and varied career.
The following material reflects only a small part of Biesen’s story. [...]