Tacoma Tried To Keep People Out of This Washington Ghost Town

The City Of Tacoma Once Blocked Entrance Into A Little Town In Washington State

If you are like me, you love exploring the unusual history of Washington State. Do you realize that a ghost town in Washington State once was blocked by the City of Tacoma?

The Last Resident Of This Washington State Ghost Town Died In 2002

If you haven't heard about Lester Washington, I wouldn't be surprised because it's now an abandoned ghost town in King County.

The question is: why did the City of Tacoma block the roads into the town even when it had residents living there?

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Lester Washington is a small ghost town located near Stampede Pass. It was founded in the early 1891 and was named after a local resident who owned a sawmill in the area.

The town grew to over 1,000 residents due to railroading and logging. The mothballing of the railroad and the pulp mill camps dwindled the town to 22 residents by 1978.

The City of Tacoma bought land in Lester starting in the 60's and the City of Tacoma attempted to block the all-weather road into Lester. King County stepped in to mediate the dispute and the road was temporarily closed down.

Talk about an unusual little ghost town. Lester's sole resident, Gertrude Murphy, died in September 2002 at the age of 99.

A lot of the buildings were demolished in 2017 for safety but some remnants of Lester Washington still remain.

As you look back at the history of the ghost town of Lester, it's always amazing to see how interesting and sad an entire town can come and go in the blink of an eye.

You can read more about the unusual history of Lester Washington here, or watch the video below.