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Upton Lester
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Homesteader, resort developer.
Born at Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England on 31 August 1875, son of William Lester and Helen Wagstaff, on 15 July 1899 he married Edith Annie Lunt (1876-1950) at Ennistymon, Co-Clare, Ireland and they had three children: Edith Maud Lester, Alexander “Alex” Upton Lester, and Joseph William Reginald “Rex” Lester (1907-1986, husband of Laela Ateah). He came to Canada in 1911.
In 1912, his wife and two sons joined him and they lived briefly at Mapleton prior to moving to Belair and taking up a homestead just north of present-day Lester Beach. Their home became known locally as “The Big White House” and a walk-in pantry was converted into a small community store that was operated by Edith Lester until her death, then by Maud Lester.
In 1953, he purchased property adjacent to his homestead that had belonged to George Henry Bradbury. He transformed Lake Winnipeg shoreline on the property into the summer resort community of Lester Beach, the first dedicated resort commuity in the Rural Municipality of Alexander and the first significant cottage development in the region outside of Grand Beach and Victoria Beach. The work was continued by his children Maud Lester and Alexander Lester.
The Lester Beach Cottage Owners’ Association was established in the 1960s. Initially, lots were leased to cottagers until they began to be sold in 1978. At that time, Maud Lester donated the water system and present sports field to the Association. There are now some 500 cottages in the area. A monument to the Lester family is located on Lester Boulevard at Lester Beach.
He died at the St. Boniface Sanatorium on 8 May 1964 and was buried in the Victoria Beach Pioneer Cemetery.
Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 9 May 1964, page 35.
From the Beaches to the Falls: A Winnipeg River - Lake Winnipeg Heritage by Marianne (Lester) Parker, 1989, pages 66-70, 198, 384, 416-426, 431.
This page was prepared by Sharon Parker and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 3 February 2025
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