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Chehalis, Washington
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==Etymology== The name "Chehalis" is derived from {{Lang|cea|c̓x̣íl̕əš}}, the name of principal village of the [[Lower Chehalis people]], located near what is now [[Westport, Washington]].<ref name="Hajda1990">{{Cite book |last=Hajda |first=Yvonne |title=[[Handbook of North American Indians]] |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] |year=1990 |isbn=0-16-020390-2 |volume=7 |page=503 |chapter=Southern Coast Salish}}</ref> It translates to "place of sand" or "shifting sand" in English.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chehalistribe.org/|title=Chehalis Tribe|publisher=Chehalis Tribe|access-date=March 29, 2020|archive-date=January 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113064856/https://www.chehalistribe.org/|url-status=live}}</ref> It has also been spelled Atchixe-lish, Chachelis, Checalish, Chehaylis, Chickeelas, Chixeelis, Ebihalis, Tcheles, Tsehalish, and Tse-he-lis. Early non-native explorers of the [[Pacific Northwest]] vocalized the words as "Chehalis" and proceeded to describe the original inhabitants as such.<ref name="PONBC">{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Evan |title=Post office name becomes Chehalis |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/centralia/centralia-daily-chronicle/1975/09-23/page-2 |access-date=October 29, 2024 |work=[[The Chronicle (Centralia, Washington)|The Daily Chronicle]] |date=September 23, 1975 |page=2}}</ref> The community was originally known as Saunder's Bottom and as the town of Saundersville, named after Schuyler and Eliza Saunders on whose donation land claim it was founded when they settled on the land in 1850. Differing timelines and recognition of the name change to Chehalis exist. A founding member of the community and its postmaster, [[Obadiah B. McFadden]], renamed the town as Chehalis in 1870.<ref name="CTHHL"/>{{efn|The exact date that McFadden changed the name fluctuates depending on the source, often vaguely listed as 1870. He officially reestablished the local post office under the Chehalis moniker on September 23, 1870.<ref name="PONBC"/><ref name="TBACN">{{cite news |title=The Beautiful And Commodious New Federal Building And Postoffice In Chehalis That Was Appropriately Dedicated With Ceremonies Recently |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h4A9AAAAIBAJ&pg=PA8 |access-date=October 29, 2024 |work=The Chehalis Bee-Nugget |date=January 19, 1934 |page=8}}</ref>.}} Another account claims officials for the Northern Pacific Railroad, in 1874, began to refer to the location as Chehalis but for unknown reasons.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Banel |first1=Feliks |title=All Over The Map: How Kittitas, Klickitat and Lewis counties were named |url=https://mynorthwest.com/3173561/all-over-the-map-how-kittitas-klickitat-and-lewis-counties-were-named/ |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=MYNorthwest |date=October 1, 2021}}</ref> The naming was officially recognized by the state legislature on September 23, 1879. The Chehalis nomenclature is believed to denote its location to the Chehalis people and the [[Chehalis River (Washington)|Chehalis River]].<ref name="PONBC"/> The meaning of the names of Saunder's Bottom and Chehalis were fitting for the growing town due to the muddy bottomland along the Chehalis River which had long vexed stagecoach travelers on the Washington arm of the [[Oregon Trail]] between [[Kalama, Washington|Kalama]] and New Market ([[Tumwater, Washington|Tumwater]]).<ref name="CTHHL">{{cite web|url=https://www.historylink.org/File/8645|title=Chehalis Thumbnail History|publisher=HistoryLink.org|access-date=March 29, 2020|archive-date=February 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200205005912/https://www.historylink.org/File/8645|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Motto and nickname=== An early motto for the city, "What Chehalis makes makes Chehalis" was initiated under Mayor John West in late-1926.<ref>{{cite news |title=Condensed Synopsis Of Late State News |url=https://washingtondigitalnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=VASHON19261231.1.1 |access-date=March 19, 2025 |work=[[Vashon Island News-Record]] |date=December 31, 1926 |page=1}}</ref> As red roses had long been a symbol of the community, including the [[All-America Rose Selections]] (AARS) accredited [[Parks and recreation in Chehalis, Washington#Chehalis Municipal Rose Garden|Chehalis Municipal Rose Garden]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Slaughter |first1=Mai Ling |title=Chehalis rose garden grows in importance |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/centralia/centralia-chronicle/2000/08-15/page-1 |access-date=August 13, 2024 |work=[[The Chronicle (Centralia, Washington)|The Chronicle]] |date=August 15, 2000 |pages=A1, A12}}</ref> the city adopted the red rose as an official community flower in 1955,<ref name="CARRA">{{cite news |title=Chehalins Adopt Red Rose As Their Community Flower |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/centralia/centralia-daily-chronicle/1955/05-10/page-1 |access-date=October 30, 2024 |work=[[The Chronicle (Centralia, Washington)|The Daily Chronicle]] |date=May 10, 1955 |page=1}}</ref> leading to the nickname for Chehalis, "The Rose City", which was made official in 2000. The city's motto, "A Heritage to be Proud Of" was concurrently adopted. The community has been informally known as "The Mint City" due to I.P. Callison's mint plant<ref>{{cite news |author1=The Chronicle staff |title=Chehalis becomes Rose City |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/washington/centralia/centralia-chronicle/2000/07-25/page-1 |access-date=August 13, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |pages=A1, A8}}</ref><ref name="IOAC">{{cite book |last1=McDonald Zander |first1=Julie |title=Images of America - Chehalis |date=2011 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=9780738576039 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NaVwkcPhFwEC |access-date=April 24, 2024}}</ref>{{rp|31}} and as "The Friendly City", nomenclature born from social symbolism connected to roses.<ref name="CARRA"/> An attempt to change the official moniker to "The Friendly City" in 2009 did not pass, but the city changed its motto to "Where Heart and History Shape Our Future".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pearson |first1=Adam |title=Chehalis Changes Motto to 'Where Heart and History Shape Our Future' |url=https://www.chronline.com/stories/chehalis-changes-motto-to-where-heart-and-history-shape-our-future,178565? |access-date=August 13, 2024 |work=The Chronicle |date=April 13, 2010}}</ref>
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