Olalla, Washington
Encyclopedia
Olalla is a small unincorporated community
in Kitsap County, Washington
, United States
. It is located on Colvos Passage on Puget Sound
just north of the Pierce County
county line. Olalla used to be larger than Port Orchard
, county seat of Kitsap County. A former logging area, Olalla now partially relies on tourism, hosting an annual Polar Bear Jump on January 1 and Bluegrass Festival the third Saturday in August. Olalla is now a residential and farming community for commuters to nearby cities and towns, although a working-class population from the logging days still remains.
Its name is the Salishan
and Chinook Jargon
word for "berry" or "berries" (usually olallie or ollalie in most lexicons of the Jargon).
The Olalla Community Club has been operated by Marty Kellogg and his family since the early eighties. A old original church stands just down the street from the Club and is being used to this day. The former pioneers church Pastor lived right across the street from the Church.
Olalla has some small claim to fame as the location of an early 20th century health retreat (Sanitarium) called Wilderness Heights a.k.a. "Starvation Heights", The sanitarium was owned and operated by Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard
. Dr. Hazzard's practice of starvation to cure one's ills resulted in the death of a visiting English heiress in 1911, and the conviction of Dr. Hazzard for her murder. The original bathtub where Hazzard performed autopsies is still in the house, which has a family residing there. However, she also maintains a strong following, in the US, Europe and Australia, that testify to her fasting techniques as having cured them of many ills and believe she was ahead of her time, both then and now, in her methods.
Olalla author Gregg Olsen
wrote about Starvation Heights in his award-winning book of the same name.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Kitsap County, Washington
Kitsap County, Washington
Kitsap County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, named after Chief Kitsap of the Suquamish tribe. As of 2011 state estimate, its population was 253,900. Its county seat is at Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located on Colvos Passage on Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
just north of the Pierce County
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
county line. Olalla used to be larger than Port Orchard
Port Orchard, Washington
Port Orchard is a city in and the county seat of Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located 13 miles due west of West Seattle and connected to Seattle and Vashon Island via the Washington State Ferries run to Southworth...
, county seat of Kitsap County. A former logging area, Olalla now partially relies on tourism, hosting an annual Polar Bear Jump on January 1 and Bluegrass Festival the third Saturday in August. Olalla is now a residential and farming community for commuters to nearby cities and towns, although a working-class population from the logging days still remains.
Its name is the Salishan
Salishan languages
The Salishan languages are a group of languages of the Pacific Northwest...
and Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon
Chinook Jargon originated as a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to other areas in modern Oregon and Washington, then British Columbia and as far as Alaska, sometimes taking on characteristics of a creole language...
word for "berry" or "berries" (usually olallie or ollalie in most lexicons of the Jargon).
The Olalla Community Club has been operated by Marty Kellogg and his family since the early eighties. A old original church stands just down the street from the Club and is being used to this day. The former pioneers church Pastor lived right across the street from the Church.
Olalla has some small claim to fame as the location of an early 20th century health retreat (Sanitarium) called Wilderness Heights a.k.a. "Starvation Heights", The sanitarium was owned and operated by Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard
Linda Burfield Hazzard
Linda Hazzard was a fiery oratorand doctor, who was implicitly killing her patients by exhausting diets....
. Dr. Hazzard's practice of starvation to cure one's ills resulted in the death of a visiting English heiress in 1911, and the conviction of Dr. Hazzard for her murder. The original bathtub where Hazzard performed autopsies is still in the house, which has a family residing there. However, she also maintains a strong following, in the US, Europe and Australia, that testify to her fasting techniques as having cured them of many ills and believe she was ahead of her time, both then and now, in her methods.
Olalla author Gregg Olsen
Gregg Olsen
Gregg Olsen is a Gregg Olsen is a Gregg Olsen is a [[New York Times]] and a USA Today bestselling [[author]] of eight nonfiction books and six novels, most of which are crime-related...
wrote about Starvation Heights in his award-winning book of the same name.