Pinto Saddlebred/Ouarter

Yelm is in southeast Thurston County, Washington. It is a suburban city, surrounded by other suburban cities and pockets of unincorporated Thurston County. It is near the major transportation routes of Interstate 5 and State Routes 507, 510, and 702, which connect it economically and socially to the greater Puget Sound Region and provide a gateway to Mount Rainier. The word "Yelm" is said to come from the Coast Salish word shelm or chelm, meaning "heat waves from the sun", referring to heat mirages. The Yelm Prairie was originally inhabited by the Nisqually and provided good pasture for their horses.