Lester, Washington

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lester was a small town near Stampede Pass, just south of Snoqualmie Pass in King County, started sometime in the 1880s along the Northern Pacific Railway (now the BNSF Railway ). It is one of the few ghost towns in the U.S. state of Washington. History states that the town was originally a logging town named Deans after the Dean's Lumber Co. mill in the area, but was later renamed "Lester" after the young telegraph operator who worked there. However, the telegraph call for the town remained Dm. In the late 1890s it became a railway town when it replaced Weston, Washington as a station since it was down grade and easier for the trains to reach in the winter. The logging industry in the area remained for many years, starting with Dean's Lumber Co. and ending in the 1950s with the Scott Paper Company. The town itself lasted until the late 1980s when it was slowly killed off by legislation. The area is now in the Tacoma watershed and is gated off, now only open to foot traffic though most of the buildings in the area have long since been bulldozed. Nearby is the Borup Loop and Stampede Tunnel, at one time the largest tunnel in the country. It was built between 1886 and 1888 and is 1.89 miles long.

[edit] Geography

Lester is located at 47°12′33″N, 121°29′38″W, east of Enumclaw, Washington along the Green River and BNSF Railway line. Its elevation is 1634 feet (498m) above sea level³.

[edit] External links

• Journey To Lester Colorful article and link to slide show presentation of Lester WA as it exists now. Photographed in July 2006.
• N.P. Ry. A Short History of Lester and Stampede Pass Article on the history of Lester and the area around Stampede Pass, and the relationship with the Northern Pacific Railway and BNSF Railway.
• N.P. Ry. Spelled in Reverse: E.G. Morgan and a Town called Nagrom Article on the history of Nagrom, Washington and other areas around Stampede Pass including Lester.
• N.P. Ry. Stampede Pass: A Virtual Tour, Auburn to Ellensburg Milepost listing of the Northern Pacific Railway/BNSF Railway line which goes through Lester and Stampede Pass.
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 47.2092775° -121.4939831°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA