Fishtrap, Washington

Ghost town in Washington (state)

Ghost town in Washington, United States

47°23′19″N 117°49′51″W / 47.38861°N 117.83083°W / 47.38861; -117.83083CountryUnited StatesStateWashingtonCountyLincolnEstablished1906Elevation

2,290 ft (700 m)Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)ZIP code

99032

Area code509GNIS feature ID1510969^[1]

Fishtrap is an extinct town in Lincoln County, in the U.S. state of Washington. The GNIS classifies it as a populated place.^[2]

A post office called Fishtrap was established in 1906 on land owned by John W. Lawton, and remained in operation until 1936.^[3] A train station at this site was named Vista. The post office was named Fishtrap after Fishtrap Lake, which was given that name as local Native American settlements had natural traps to catch fish there. The name was suggested by Mr. Lawton.^[4]

The Bureau of Land Management operates the 9,000 acre Fishtrap Recreation Area in the vicinity of the former community. Access to the site is off the Fishtrap exit on Interstate 90, less than a mile northwest of the townsite. The area shows examples of the Channeled Scablands landscape that dominates the area.^[5]

References

^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fishtrap, Washington
^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fishtrap, Washington
^ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ Meany, Edmond S. Origin of Washington geographic names. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 86.
^ "Fishtrap Recreation Area". blm.gov. Bureau of Land Management. Retrieved October 26, 2021.