LESTER
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LESTER |
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NAME: Lester COUNTY: King ROADS: 2WD GRID: 1 CLIMATE: Snow in winter BEST TIME TO VISIT: Summer |
COMMENTS:
The last resident of lester died a few months ago. Nonetheless, there are trains to watch here, on the BNSF railroad, and the Cedar River, coming down from Stampede Pass. UPDATE:The forrestry road leading to the "full fledged ghost town" is closed to vehicles. You can park your cars at the bridge where indicated and Lester is only about 1/2 of a mile walk from there. Well worth the short walk. REMAINS: Only a house or two, the old schoolhouse, (which might be gone by now),and several foundations. If you look hard, you can find remains of the Northern Pacific RR's station here. |
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The town of Lester sprang up when the Northern Pacific Railroad laid track over Stampede Pass in the 1880's-1890's. Nearby were many logging camps, and a railroad station, water tank, and section house. Logs from the area were brought to a mill. Because of the railroad, the town prospered. In the 1950's, when steam engines and passenger service declined on the RR, the station was demolished along with the water tank. By the 1970's, the NP automated some operations, and the need for a section house vanished, causing more residents to leave. The final blow to the town was in the early 1980's, when the Burlington Northern RR stopped all trains across Stampede Pass. Up until a few months ago, there was one resident, who died then. Now, with the railroad line being re-opened, the BNSF RR occasionally has office trailers stored there. Oddly, the large sign by the RR right-of-way, saying "Lester" still remains. A Forest Service road over Stampede Pass is now the only way to Lester. Submitted by: Jonathan Lee Comments: For more information about the last resident of Lester (Gertrude Murphy), see: http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=3970 |
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