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Selah, Yakima County Washington
"Selah, the name of a
town, creek and valley in the north central part of Yakima County.
'I have talked with a number of the oldest residents of our valley,
one among whom came to the valley in 1861. As a result of my
inquiries, I have found that Selah is an Indian word meaning 'still
water' or 'smooth water.' This was locally applied to a section of
the Yakima River about a mile and a half in length and lying between
the present site of Pomona and a point a little south of Selah. That
part of the river between Ellensburg and Pomona is very swift and
rough. As it emerges from the Kittitas Canyon in reaches a level
valley where it flows smoothly for a short distance and then passes
over rapids again. Hence the name Selah applied to this section of
the river. As near as I can learn, the Indians here had no name for
an entire stream but named different sections of a stream from their
peculiar characteristics. The name Selah was extended to Selah Creek
and to different parts of the valley by the people who settled here.
Selah has been often confused with the Hebrew musical term which has
the same spelling and pronunciation but is of entirely different
origin and meaning." (Arthur C. Vail.)
Selah was officially incorporated on April 3, 1919.
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