A weary village breathes its last—dying logging hamlet vanishes in a blaze, but without glory

Originally published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 31, 1993

By Ellis E. Conklin
P-I Reporter

Gertrude Murphy, 90, picks through the remains of her home, the last one standing in Lester until a blaze destroyed it Sunday. (Bruce Moyer, P-I)

A little town, ailing for decades, finally died this week. The end was sudden and violent, in stark contrast to its long, quiet decline.

Nestled amid mountain peaks at the scenic headwaters of the Green River just below Stampede Pass, Lester was 102, only a dozen years older than Gertrude Murphy, the town’s last resident. Yesterday, she stood silently in the stinging cold watching smoke rise from the rubble of her home.

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Way Back When.…

Republished in the Voice of the Valley, July 17, 1974

Edited by Dorothy Church

From the Maplevalley Messenger, July 14, 1921

A double defeat at the hands of the Lester and Nagrom teams greeted Maplevalley on their journey into the mountains last Sunday.

Evidently the long train ride, high attitude, and rough grounds were too much of a handicap for the valley boys, and although they put up a good fight against Lester, the final score stood 10-9 against them. Numerous errors, due to the condition of the grounds which had just been cleared of stumps, were largely to blame for their defeat.

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The Fourth of July picnic and dance proved a huge success and drew the largest crowd ever gathered together in Maplevalley on any occasion.

The races were interesting and created lots of excitement, the young ladies’ race being won by Miss Holt; the fat ladies’ race by Mrs. Berrisford; the ladies’ race by Mrs. Davies; boys’ race, Johnny Vickery; men’s race, Russell Vickery; girls’ race, Eva Vickery; pie-eating contest, August Hedin; three-legged race, Ethel Maxwell and Elvita Edgman.

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Diamond Junction: Where yesterday meets today

This 1908 photo is from Central Washington University’s Brooks Library Digital Collection, http://digital.lib.cwu.edu/.

Green River Hot Springs

Originally published in the BDHS newsletter, January 2010

By Ken Jensen

Being a relative newcomer to Black Diamond and a self-proclaimed history buff, I’m constantly peppering Archivist JoAnne Matsumura, President Keith Watson, and others with questions about the area’s history: Where was Mine No. 7? How did trains turn around in Franklin? Where was the town of McKay? Some of my queries can be resolved simply by checking out an old publication; others by checking in with an old-timer. Some take a little more digging.

Matsumura suggested such a challenge. A little-known town—a town a bit outside the usual Black Diamond Historical Society purview—but one of great interest to Matsumura (she collects postcards from the once remarkable hotel) and Vice President Don Malgarini (he spent summers there whiling away his childhood): Green River Hot Springs.

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