Here’s the history lesson:
Yelm became one of the earliest Western Washington communities through the accidents of geography. Its fertile prairie, close proximity to the Nisqually River, and location at the crossroads of major trails made it a strategic and desirable center for commerce and settlement for the Nisqually Tribe long before Euro-Americans appeared. According to legend the area was originally called “Shelm” (or “Chelm”) and named for the “shimmering heat waves that played above the prairie when the summer sun shines hot.”
Fur traders first used this land as early as 1818. Even though open to joint occupancy, the area north of the Columbia River was controlled by the British operators of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Yelm Prairie was a travel route for those working its fur trading posts and farms. These transportation routes began as native trails and were used later by settlers. The same routes later became wagon roads, military roads, railroad lines, and ultimately modern highways.
Some of the earliest inhabitants of Yelm Prairie were Kanakas, natives of the Hawaiian Islands employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company. For a number of years Yelm was used as a sheep outstation.
The arrival of more settlers and the attempt to extinguish aboriginal land claims led to the Indian War of 1855 and 1856. During the war, Nisqually Chief Leschi was convicted of murdering a soldier during the Battle of Connell’s Prairie. This battle was a result of his refusal to agree to a treaty that would have moved the tribe to a reservation far from its fisheries and livelihood on the Nisqually River. His first trial had a hung jury after jurors were instructed that killing combatants during wartime in not murder. The second jury was not given this information and convicted him. When the Army refused to execute him, the Territorial Legislature enacted a law allowing local authorities to hang Leschi in 1858.
Early in 2004, almost 150 years after the battle, Washington state legislators prepared to throw out the murder conviction by unanimously approving Senate Resolution 8727, which recognizes that an injustice was committed against Chief Leschi. Tom Iyall, a tribal member and descendant of Leschi said, “It was a good step in starting the healing that needs to be done.” The next step will be for the state Supreme Court to vacate the conviction and remove the case from the state’s records.
On December 8, 1924, Yelm was incorporated as a city. The movement to incorporate followed the May 1924 fire that destroyed much of the business district. The purpose of incorporation was to allow the construction of a water system to fight fires. Many of the buildings seen today along Yelm’s main street were built soon after the 1924 fire. It is interesting to note that Yelm had its first reported armed robbery in 1996.
Now visit the itty-bitty park to collect the rest of the numbers:
Final Coordinates are: N 46° 56.ABC ____ W 122° 36.DEF ____
____ A = # of benches by the Flagpole memorial on west corner of park
____ B = # of Nisqually Chief Leschi’s trials (read cache description)
____ C = # of swings or number of open slides
____ D = # of medallions on the benches by the Flagpole memorial + # of years of the Indian War
____ E = # = total # of men, mammals and wagons on memorial plaque on north corner of park
____ F = # of parks in Yelm prior to 1999 (read cache description)