Introduction:
Over the past month I have been reviewing a scrapbook from the Yelm High School Girls’ League in the 1950’s. Technically, every girl in the high school was a member of the Girls’ League much the same as students taking agriculture classes are considered members of the FFA. Since the club was so large, most [...]

The first two pictures are of the north side of Yelm Ave while facing west.

As World War II broke out, traffic increased on the line. It was used as an alternate route for troop trains to and from Tacoma. The telegraph office was manned 24 hours a day with three shifts or “tricks.” In the post-war years, traffic dwindled to secondary or branch status with logs the main commodity [...]

Introduction:  The following figures have been gleaned from a variety of sources, mainly newspapers.  Yelm did incorporate as a town until the 1920’s, was considered to be Yelm in the 1908 & 1918.  The latter figures are more accurate and reflect the people living int the city limits.
1908 – 50
1918 – 150
1926 – 400
1950 – 406
1970 [...]

A Home in Yelm, 1951

Introduction: In this account by Edgar Prescott he describes his home in Yelm in 1951.
Looking back I have to admit that the house we bought back in 1951 doesn’t seem anymore like all that much of a house than it did then. It was square, and it sat high up on [...]

Law & Order in Yelm
Introduction: Yelm incorporated in 1924 and the town council soon began passing ordinances. Here are some summarized selections from Yelm’s long list of ordinances.
1925 – Regulation of pool halls and card rooms – A license is required to own or regulate a pool hall or card room. License fee is $25 [...]

Yelm is Center of Progressive Irrigated Agricultural District
(Bill Fox – The Olympian)
This is the first of a series of entertaining and informative articles about the prosperous and progressive city of Yelm, located on a fertile prairie 22 miles from Olympia. The stories were written by an Olympian reporter who visited Yelm several times to obtain [...]

The relationship between the original inhabitants of Washington and the non-Indians who started arriving in the late 18th century is one of the great ongoing stories of this state’s history. The impact of trade, disease, culture, conflict, and law on Native Americans from this region tells us a lot about our nation and ourselves. The following is an examination of the struggle between Indians and non-Indians over the right to fish for salmon, one of the great natural resources of the Northwest.