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Deep
in the western slope of the Cascade Mountains of Washington at 1634 feet
elevation in the upper Green River Valley is a very special place that is
either unknown or a famous sacred place depending on who you are, this place
is known as Lester, Washington.
Whether
you worked for Scott Paper or Soundview Pulp in the logging camp for the
Northern Pacific, Burlington Northern or Burlington Northern & Santa Fe
you know of this place.
You
either disliked the peace and isolation or you thought this was as close to
heaven as you were going to get while you are still walking on God's green
earth.
No
matter which it is, Lester is a place that you would never forget.
Lester
started in the 1890s as Dean's Mill, which sported a lumber mill and a small
camp to take advantage to the vast timber reserves that existed in the valley.
After
the Northern Pacific Railroad completed it's Cascade Branch over Stampede Pass
in 1888, Lester was built as a helper station. Popular legend has it that
Lester Hansacker, agent of the NP station was rather hard of hearing,
apparently the dispatcher was always hollering "Calling Lester!"
hence Dean's Mill became known as Lester and that name stuck this very day.
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Northern Pacific became
Burlington Northern in 1970 and then in 1995 Burlington Northern Santa Fe was created, this shows the
evolution of the symbols.
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