Lester, Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lester, Washington
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Guard house, gas and oil shack, and warehouse in Lester
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 Lester, Washington
Location in Washington (state)
Lester, Washington
Location in the United States
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| Elevation | 1,634 ft (498 m) |
| Population
(1984)
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| • Total | 0 |
Lester is a ghost town located in King County, Washington. It's found near Stampede Pass and Snoqualmie Pass. The town was started in 1892 by the Northern Pacific Railway, which is now the BNSF Railway. Today, Lester is on land owned by Tacoma Water, which is part of Tacoma Public Utilities. Most of the buildings were taken down in 2017. But you can still see many old foundations from the town.
Contents
History
How Lester Began
Lester started in 1891 as a logging camp. It was first called "Deans" after the owner of Dean's Lumber Company. In 1886, the Northern Pacific Railway built a large train station there. They also built a roundhouse, a coal dock, and other places to help steam locomotives. Lester was at the bottom of the railroad's steepest hill, called a grade. The town was later renamed "Lester" to honor Lester Hansaker, a telegraph operator for the Northern Pacific.
Life as a Company Town
In 1902, several forest fires badly damaged the local logging business. But Lester kept growing as a company town for the Northern Pacific Railway. A company town is a place where most homes and stores are owned by one company. In the 1920s, the town's population reached about 1,000 people. Many of the buildings in Lester were built during this time.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the town changed. It became more focused on logging than on railroads. New logging camps were set up in Lester by Soundview Pulp Company. This company was later bought by Scott Paper Company.
The Battle of the Lester Gate
The city of Tacoma started buying land in Lester in 1963. They wanted to protect the Green River watershed. This river is where Tacoma gets its drinking water. Tacoma tried to stop people from entering the town. This led to protests and people breaking down gates on the only road into Lester. This event became known as the "Battle of the Lester Gate."
King County sued Tacoma, saying the road belonged to the county. In July 1962, the King County Superior Court first allowed Tacoma to keep its gates locked. Later, in 1965, the court decided it couldn't fully decide the case. This was because other landowners were not part of the lawsuit.
The End of Lester
The Scott logging camp in Lester was one of the last in King County. It closed in April 1978. After that, the town's population dropped to only 22 people by March of the next year. In 1984, the Burlington Northern railroad stopped using the Stampede Pass rail line. This caused more people to leave Lester. The city of Tacoma and the United States Forest Service then limited who could enter the town.
In 1983, people tried to save the town's railroad station. They wanted it to be a historic landmark. It was almost moved to North Bend to protect it. But sadly, the station was later destroyed in a fire that was set on purpose.
In 1985, the Washington State Legislature passed a law. It said that school districts with fewer than five students would be closed. This led to the Lester school district being shut down. The people living in Lester held a pretend funeral for the town because the school closed.
The last person living in Lester, Gertrude Murphy, passed away in September 2002. She was 99 years old.
For safety and to protect the water, Tacoma Water tore down the remaining large buildings in Lester in 2017. These included the guard house, a gas and oil shack, and a warehouse. However, some smaller old items from the town can still be found.
Geography
Lester is located east of Enumclaw, Washington. It sits along the Green River and the BNSF Railway line. The town is 1,634 feet (498 meters) above sea level.
Gallery
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Lester, WA: c. 1984
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