Lester (Washington)
| Lester | |||
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 The ghost town of Lester, WA (August 2013) |
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| Location in Washington | |||
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| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | 1892 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | Washington | ||
| County : | King County | ||
| Coordinates : | 47 ° 13 ′ N , 121 ° 30 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Pacific ( UTC − 8 / −7 ) | ||
| Residents : | 0 (as of 1984) | ||
| Height : | 498 m | ||
| GNIS ID : | 1522035 | ||
Lester was a small town ( town ) on Stampede Pass , just south of Snoqualmie Pass in King County in Washington State . It was founded in 1892 by the Northern Pacific Railway (today: BNSF Railway ). Lester is along what is now National Forest Development Road 54 ; the land belongs to Tacoma Water , a subsidiary of Tacoma Public Utilities .
It is one of the few ghost towns in Washington State. Although most of the freestanding buildings were demolished in 2017, there are still some remains of the settlement.
history
Lester was founded in 1891 as the "Deans" logging camp, named after the owner of the Dean's Lumber Company . In 1886 the Northern Pacific Railway built a large station, a locomotive shed, a coal warehouse and other facilities for the operation of steam locomotives that crossed the Stampede Pass ; Lester was at the foot of the steepest incline on the railway line. The city was renamed "Lester" after the telegraph operator of the Northern Pacific, Lester Hansaker.
Although a series of forest fires ruined local forestry in 1902, Lester remained as a factory settlement for the Northern Pacific. In the 1920s the population reached its maximum of about 1,000 inhabitants; most modern buildings and facilities were constructed during this decade. During the 1940s and 1950s, the economy changed from railroad settlement to forestry when the Soundview Pulp Company set up new logging camps in Lester that were later taken over by the Scott Paper Company .
The city of Tacoma began acquiring properties in Lester in 1963 to protect the Green River basin , which the city serves as a source of drinking water. Tacoma planned to block access to the settlement, which sparked protests; in the so-called "Battle of the Lester Gate" incident, gates on the only permanently passable access road to Lester were destroyed. King County banned the city of Tacoma from blocking Lester on the assumption that the county owned the road. The King County Superior Court ruled in July 1962 in favor of Tacoma, which should keep the gates to Lester closed. The court later ruled (1965) that the county's inability to involve other landowners would have hampered the court's ability to rule the case.
The Scott Camp Lester was one of the last in King County. It closed in April 1978, and the city's population dropped to 22 the following March. The closure of railway traffic over the Stampede Pass by the Burlington Northern in 1984 led to further population decline in Lester. In addition, the city of Tacoma and the United States Forest Service further restricted access for residents and their guests. Lester residents and railroad workers pursued the designation of the town's train station as a historic site in 1983 when it was threatened with demolition; it almost went to North Bend for conservation. The station was eventually destroyed by arson .
In 1985 the Washington State Legislature passed a law requiring school districts with fewer than five students to be abandoned, which also affected the Lester School District . Residents held a symbolic funeral for the city due to the school's closure.
The city's “last former resident”, Gertrude Murphy, died in September 2002 at the age of 99.
The city's phone numbers began with 657-2xxx. The switch that served the city, a North Electric CX-100 , is kept in the Museum of Communications in Seattle. A small building for the exchange with a US West signature still exists in Lester (today out of order, since the regional telephone provider US West also no longer exists).
For public safety and the protection of the catchment area, the remaining large group of buildings (consisting of the guard and the storage barracks for petrol and oil) was demolished by Tacoma Water in 2017. Other minor relics of the settlement still exist.
geography
Lester is east of Enumclaw on the Green River and the BNSF Railway . The height is 498 m above sea level.
gallery
Lester (around 1984)
Petrol and oil storage
guard
Secret Annex
Window in the rear building
Roof of the warehouse
Track systems in Lester
Individual evidence
- ↑ Florence K. Lentz: Memories of region's railroading spirit . In: The Seattle Times , Aug. 20, 1989, p. B13.
- ↑ a b c Lily Eng: Gathering the memories of a town called Lester: once-thriving community enters oblivion . In: The Seattle Times , June 14, 1998, p. B1.
- ↑ Jim Kumm: Visiting Lester brings a blast from the past . In: Daily Record , November 20, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ↑ a b Herb Belanger: Meetings may settle fate of Neely Mansion, Lester depot . In: The Seattle Times , Aug 3, 1983, p. F1.
- ↑ Court order sough On Lester Road . In: The Seattle Times , Jul 5, 1962, p. 9.
- ^ Tacoma Can Keep Lester Gate Closed . In: The Seattle Times , July 19, 1962, p. A.
- ↑ John Phillips III: The Demise of Lester . In: The White River Journal , White River Valley Museum, January 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ↑ Dond Duncan: Lester is getting lesser and lesser . In: The Seattle Times , March 28, 1979, p. H1.
- ^ John O'Ryan: Lester: Christmas warms little town . In: Seattle Post-Intelligencer , December 23, 1984, p. E1.
- ↑ Herb Belanger: Historic Lester rail depot may find a new home in North Bend . In: The Seattle Times , March 14, 1984, p. G3.
- ↑ a b Alan J. Stein: Gertrude Murphy, 99, last resident of Lester, passes away on September 29, 2002 . In: HistoryLink . September 29, 2002. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- ^ Carlton Smith: Lester: "We just loved it here" - nostalgia, anger mingle at little town's funeral . In: The Seattle Times , June 23, 1985, p. B1.
- ^ JJ Jensen: With passing of last resident, mountain town dies, too: Gertrude Murphy, 1903–2002 . In: The Seattle Times , 2002-20-02, pp. A1. Retrieved September 29, 2002.
- ↑ Lester Ghost Town (en) . In: Atlas Obscura . Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- ^ Lester ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved February 16, 2009.
Web links
- NP Ry. A Short History of Lester and Stampede Pass - Articles on the history of Lester and the Stampede Pass area and relationships with the Northern Pacific Railway and BNSF Railway .
- NP Ry. Spelled in Reverse: EG Morgan and a Town called Nagrom - Article on the history of Nagrom and other areas around the Stampede Pass including Lester.
- NP Ry. Stampede Pass: A Virtual Tour, Auburn to Ellensburg - List of milestones on the Northern Pacific Railway / BNSF Railway route that passes through Lester and over the Stampede Pass.
- White River Valley Museum Journal: Lester - In the Shadow of Stampede Pass - An article on the history of Lester and the Stampede Pass.