Salkum is a rural unincorporated community in Lewis County, Washington. The town is located on U.S. Route 12 and is west of Silver Creek.

History

The area was a village of the

Cowlitz Indian Tribe The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is a federally recognized tribe of Cowlitz people. They are a tribe of Southwestern Coast Salish and Sahaptan indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest located in Washington. Other Cowlitz people are enrolled in th ...

. Salkum is a Cowlitz Indian word meaning "boiling water" or "boiling up", a reference to a nearby series of waterfalls on Mill Creek. The first non-Native settlers built a grist mill at Mill Creek in 1881, beginning the town's future. A post office was established in 1882 and moved in 1890, shifting the town's center two miles north. Salkum would become a timber community, producing lumber until the 1930s when the sawmills shut down. Salkum opened its first library, as part of the Timberland Regional Library system, in 1986 as a test to expand library services to rural communities. Proving successful, the community refurbished an unoccupied gas station and the library was moved into the larger building in 1993.

Government and politics

Politics

Salkum is recognized as being majority Republican and conservative. Third parties receiving votes in the 2020 election were the Libertarian Party and Green Party, and there were 3 votes for

Write-in candidates A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be p ...

Infrastructure

Salkum is among 8 locations that are part of an EV installation project on the

White Pass Scenic Byway White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

. The program will stretch from the

White Pass Ski Area The White Pass Ski Area is a ski area in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, in the Cascade Range at White Pass in the state of Washington. It is located west of Yakima on U.S. Route 12, and east of Morton. As the crow flies, the pass i ...

Chehalis Chehalis may refer to: People * Chehalis people, a Native American people of Washington state **Lower Chehalis language **Upper Chehalis language * Sts'Ailes people (Chehalis people), a First Nation in British Columbia * Chehalis First Nation, Bri ...

and is run in partnership with Lewis County PUD,

Twin Transit Twin Transit is a public transit system serving the cities of Centralia and Chehalis in Lewis County, Washington. It operates four local transit bus routes and two cross-county bus routes, along with options for Dial-A-Ride and paratransit. Th ...

, state government agencies, and local community efforts. The venture began in 2023 from two grants totaling over $1.8 million.

References

Populated places in Lewis County, Washington Unincorporated communities in Lewis County, Washington Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) {{LewisCountyWA-geo-stub