Nesika, Washington

Nesika was an unincorporated town in Lewis County, Washington, southeast of Mossyrock. It is now a flooded town.

Etymology
The name of the town was chosen by Mrs. J. T. Chilcoat, an earlier settler. It is derived from the Cowlitz language name of the area, meaning "we, our, ours, us, or mine".

History
The town's post office was constructed in April 1898. It was primarily inhabited by the Cowlitz people.

Cowlitz Bridge
In 1914, the town was connected via bridge over the Cowlitz River to Riffe, another later flooded town. However the bridge faced issues as floods changed the course of the Cowlitz River and subsequently damaged the bridge.

The 848-feet bridge lasted until November 1967, a few months ahead of its scheduled demolition once the reservoir had filled the valley. The creosote planking was accidentally set ablaze by workers using cutting torches. The fire destroyed 200 ft of the bridge, which was permanently closed and later salvaged.

Flooding
The town remains submerged under Riffe Lake, the reservoir created by the Mossyrock Dam.