[3] The word Nicomekl is from the Halq'emeylem used by the Stó:lō people, meaning "the route to go" or "the pathway."

The area from Mud Bay, British Columbia along the Nicomekl river, and portage area to the Salmon River and Derby, British Columbia was once occupied by Snokomish people, who were largely wiped out by a smallpox epidemic in the 18th century.

[5] John Work, a clerk with the party, described the Nicomekl as thick with willows and with low banks "well wooded with pine, cedar, alder and some other trees."

[7] In 1911, Surrey council barred navigation up the Nicomekl and Serpentine rivers due to construction of dams to reclaim land.

[5] In December 1951, high tides up the Nicomekl and Serpentine rivers combined with gale-force winds to flood 490 hectares of farmland under 1.5 metres of salt water.