Olalla, Washington
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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 1st and Bluegrass Festival the third Saturday in August. Olalla is now a residential 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".
Olalla has some small claim to fame as the location of an early 20th century health retreat (Sanatarium) 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.
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