The village of Nidziika Kogolaa  (translates as "Village beside Nidzii") is the largest of four abandoned villages on the Idaa trail. The villages were abandoned shortly after the winter of 1928/29, when an influenza epidemic devastated the local populations. Nidziika Kogolaa was established sometime during the late nineteenth century by the famous Dogrib, Kaawidaa . Kaawidaa, or Bear Lake Chief (as he was known to the traders), was a Dogrib who became a 'middleman' or 'trading chief' sometime after 1872. Kaawidaa built cabins at three locations on the Idaa trail. Nidziika Kogolaa was the largest of them.

These villages represent an important era in Dogrib history. The fur trade economy was changing the roles of local leaders. As the trading post took a more prominent place in the lives of the people, the Dogrib began to develop alternate forms of architecture, similar to the style of the log buildings seen at the posts.