Yelm Ditch is an abandoned irrigation canal near Yelm in Thurston County, Washington. It was completed by the Yelm Irrigation Company at a cost of $100,000 on June 29, 1916.[2][3][4] At the time, Yelm had a population of a few hundred, and the Yelm Irrigation Project was "one of Western Washington's first irrigation districts", bringing water from the Nisqually River to irrigate farms on the Yelm Prairie.[2][5] The crops irrigated by the canal included red and black raspberries and Bluelake beans.[3]
Yelm Ditch | |
---|---|
Location | Near Yelm, Washington |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 46°50′35.37″N 122°25′35.42″W / 46.8431583°N 122.4265056°W[1] |
Specifications | |
Maximum height above sea level | 123 metres (404 ft) |
History | |
Date completed | June 19, 1916 |
Geography | |
Start point | Nisqually River near 46°54′25.36″N 122°30′36.43″W / 46.9070444°N 122.5101194°W (From USGS[1]) |
End point | 46°53′23.36″N 122°29′38.43″W / 46.8898222°N 122.4940083°W (From USGS[1]) |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Yelm Ditch
- ^ a b Rita Cipalla (February 15, 2023), "Yelm — Thumbnail History", HistoryLink, Seattle: History Ink,
After five years devoted to planning and construction, the Yelm Irrigation Project was completed on June 29, 1916 – one of Western Washington's first irrigation districts.
- ^ a b "History of Yelm". City of Yelm, Washington. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ "6000-acre irrigation project at Yelm". Business Chronicle of the Pacific Northwest. July 1, 1916. p. 15.
- ^ Ed Bergh (February 19, 2015). "The Yelm Irrigation Project". Nisqually Valley News.
Further reading
edit- Rita Cipalla (February 15, 2023), "Yelm — Thumbnail History", HistoryLink, Seattle: History Ink
- "Elbow Lake Basin", THURSTON COUNTY SHORELINE MASTER PROGRAM UPDATE – Inventory and Characterization Report (final draft) (PDF), Olympia, Washington: Thurston County Planning Department, June 30, 2013, pp. 80–81, SMA Grant Agreements G0800104 and G1300026