Editing Enumclaw, Washington (section)

==History==
The name Enumclaw is derived from the [[Sahaptin language|Sahaptin]] word /inɨmɬá/, meaning "he who makes noise", from to /ínɨmn/, "to neigh, bray, sing", and /-ɬa/, "he who".<ref>{{cite book|last=Bright |first=William |title=Native American Placenames of the United States |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&pg=PA145 |accessdate=January 29, 2023 |year=2004 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |page=145|isbn=978-0-8061-3598-4 }}</ref> Sometimes it is said that "Enumclaw" translates as "place of evil spirits", apparently referring to Enumclaw Mountain, located about {{convert|6|mi|km}} to the north. According to legend the mountain's name was derived from an evil incident that occurred there, or to the occasional powerful windstorms from the east that affect the region.<ref>{{cite web|title=Enumclaw is incorporated on February 1, 1913 |last=Parker |first=Thomas |url=https://historylink.org/File/11228 |publisher=HistoryLink |accessdate=January 29, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Brokenshire1993">{{cite book|last=Brokenshire |first=Doug |title=Washington State Place Names: From Alki to Yelm |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7XI52I8zI_AC&pg=PA70 |access-date=December 11, 2010 |year=1993 |publisher=Caxton Press |isbn=978-0-87004-356-7 |page=70}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Mass |first=Cliff |title=The Weather of the Pacific Northwest |year=2008 |publisher=University of Washington Press |isbn=978-0-295-98847-4 |pages=160–162}}</ref>  Native American mythology tells the story of two brothers – [[Enumclaw and Kapoonis]] – who were turned into thunder and lightning, respectively, by their father. The City of Enumclaw says the name means "thundering noise".<ref>[http://www.ci.enumclaw.wa.us/index.asp?Type=B_LOC&SEC={DE48E822-E647-4A46-B6D3-C7AA3804D81B} Visitor Information] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121128025159/http://www.ci.enumclaw.wa.us/index.asp?Type=B_LOC&SEC=%7BDE48E822-E647-4A46-B6D3-C7AA3804D81B%7D |date=November 28, 2012}}, City of Enumclaw</ref>

One of the first white settlers in south King County was Allen L. Porter. In 1853, he claimed a {{convert|320|acre|km2|adj=on}} parcel on the [[White River (Washington)|White River]], about three miles (5&nbsp;km) west of the site of Enumclaw. He maintained a troubled relationship with the local Smalkamish tribe (some of the ancestors of the [[Muckleshoot]] tribe) for some time, and in 1855 his cabin was burned to the ground. Porter, who had been warned in advance by a friend in the tribe, hid in the woods until they had left. After warning the settlers at [[Fort Steilacoom]], he left the area, moving to [[Roy, Washington|Roy]]. He would never return to Enumclaw.

Enumclaw itself was homesteaded in 1879 by Frank and Mary Stevenson. In 1885, the [[Northern Pacific Railway|Northern Pacific Railroad]] routed their transcontinental mainline through the site, accepting their offer of cleared, level land on which to build a siding. Confident that the area would grow, the Stevensons filed a [[plat]] with King County that same year. They built a hotel and gave away lots for a saloon and a general store.

At first the people called the town 'Stevensonville' after the founders, who soon refused the honor. One resident suggested 'Enumclaw,' which was the name of the strange sawed-off promontory north of town. The name's uniqueness gained favor with the locals.

On January 11, 1895, Mount Baldy, a small peak above the town, "erupted" with tremendous fire and smoke, although no losses or damage were reported, and the conflagration was minimized by residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=416|title=Newspaper reports eruption of Mount Baldy on January 10, 1895. |work=[[HistoryLink]]}}</ref> Throughout the 1880s and 1890s the area was farmed for [[hops]]. When the hops crop failed due to pests and economic downturn, the residents turned to dairy farming, which has been a mainstay ever since. The first [[1900 United States census|census]] listing Enumclaw in 1900 put the population at 483 people.

In the 1890s, the Northern Pacific Railroad rerouted their line through [[Palmer, Washington|Palmer]], a few miles to the east of town. In 1910, the [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]] routed a branch line through Enumclaw.

The city was incorporated on January 27, 1913. In 1929, a much-anticipated route to [[Eastern Washington]] was opened across the [[Naches Pass|Naches Pass Highway]]. In the 1950s Enumclaw Insurance Group greatly expanded its business and the home office became a major employer in the town.  The company is an [[insurance|insurer]] doing business in [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Oregon]], [[Idaho]] and [[Utah]].

In 2005 the [[Enumclaw horse sex case]] occurred on a farm five miles (8&nbsp;km) northwest of Enumclaw towards Auburn, in unincorporated [[King County, Washington|King County]].<ref name="AndersonBarn1">{{cite news|author=Rick Anderson|url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/2005-11-09/news/closing-the-barn-door.php|title=Closing the Barn Door|newspaper=[[Seattle Weekly]]|date=November 9, 2005|access-date=October 9, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819144737/http://www.seattleweekly.com/2005-11-09/news/closing-the-barn-door.php/|archive-date=August 19, 2012|url-status=dead}} "Tait, a truck driver who lives near the Southeast 444th Street<!--"Southeast 444th Street, WA" leads to an unincorporated area--> farm where the death occurred, "</ref> A Boeing aerospace engineer named Kenneth Pinyan from Gig Harbor died after receiving [[anal sex]] from a horse at the farm.<ref name="Lewis">Lewis, Gerrick. "[http://www.thelantern.com/2.1347/movie-tracks-man-s-mysterious-death-1.79007 Movie tracks man's mysterious death] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117061117/http://www.thelantern.com/2.1347/movie-tracks-man-s-mysterious-death-1.79007 |date=January 17, 2011 }}." ''[[The Lantern]]''. Monday April 2, 2007. Updated on Saturday June 20, 2009. Retrieved on October 9, 2010.</ref> The case and the surrounding media attention led to Washington State banning [[bestiality]].<ref name="thestranger">{{cite news|url=http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=30811|access-date=April 30, 2006|author=Mudede, Charles|title=The Animal In You|newspaper=The Stranger|date=February–March 2006|author-link=Charles Mudede}}</ref>

[[File:Enumclaw OldHighSchoolFront.jpg|thumb|right|Old Enumclaw High School, built in 1921]]