Kosmos, Washington | |
|---|---|
 White Pass Scenic Byway - Sign at Riffe Lake Overlook | |
  Kosmos | |
| Coordinates:46°29′46″N122°11′10″W / 46.49611°N 122.18611°W /46.49611; -122.18611 | |
| Established | 1891 |
| Razed and flooded | 1968 |
| Named after | Greek term meaning "universe" |
| GNIS feature ID | 1521766[1] |
Kosmos (CAUSE-muss) was anunincorporated community inLewis County, Washington, southwest ofGlenoma and is now considered aflooded town. Kosmos is named from a Greek term meaning "the world or universe as an embodiment of order and harmony".
The town officially began in 1891 under the name, Fulton, after Homer Fulton, the first postmaster.[2] The site changed its moniker to Kosmos[a] in 1903, chosen by the wife of B.W. Coiner, a homesteader.[2][3][4]
The town's primary economy was based on logging and sawmills, with mining for mercury also a principal venture.[3] The community was served by the Fulton Ferry before bridges were built to reach the area.[2] A school district and schoolhouse were begun in 1913.[5] At its most prosperous, Kosmos had a population between 500-600 people, two grocery stores, a post office, and a locomotive shop, among other amenities.[6][2]
Residents relocated from Kosmos, along with its neighboring communities ofNeskia andRiffe, in advance of the completion of theMossyrock Dam in 1968. Before theCowlitz River rose behind the dam and formedRiffe Lake, contractors razed most structures, except for their foundations. Several bridges near the town were demolished, including Steffen Creek Bridge which was destroyed by experimental explosive testing under the direction of theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers.[7][2] Periods of low water occasionally exposed remains of the town[8][9] until 2017 when the lake's water level was dropped 30 feet, exposing the remains of the town since.[10] The remains can be accessed at the Kosmos Wildlife Area Unit, part of theCowlitz River Wildlife Area,[11] and portions of concrete foundations, areas of logging camps, and remains of mills and timber factories are visible.[6]
Municipalities and communities ofLewis County, Washington,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Former communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Flooded towns | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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