Olalla, Washington
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Olalla is a small
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Kitsap County, Washington Kitsap County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 275,611. Its county seat is Port Orchard; its largest city is Bremerton. The county, formed out of King County and Jefferson County on Ja ...
, United States. It is located on Colvos Passage on
Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...
, just north of the Pierce County county line. Olalla used to be as large as
Port Orchard Port Orchard, part of Washington state's Puget Sound, is the strait that separates Bainbridge Island on the east from the Kitsap Peninsula on the west. It extends from Liberty Bay and Agate Pass in the north to Sinclair Inlet and Rich Passag ...
, the county seat of Kitsap County. Olalla was settled in its early years by a large number of Norwegian and other Scandinavian immigrants because of its similarities to their native countries. Noted as early as the 1860s, Olalla developed a commerce center by way of its good sea water access. The "old town" port located by the Olalla lagoon was made up of many business buildings, most on piers. Shipping and the mosquito fleet (ferrying system at that time) was very busy moving materials, goods and people.


Etymology

Olalla's name is the
Salishan The Salishan languages ( ), also known as the Salish languages ( ), are a family of languages found in the Pacific Northwest in North America, namely the Canadian province of British Columbia and the American states of Washington, Oregon, Ida ...
and
Chinook Jargon Chinook Jargon (' or ', also known simply as ''Chinook'' or ''Jargon'') is a language originating as a pidgin language, pidgin trade language in the Pacific Northwest. It spread during the 19th century from the lower Columbia River, first to othe ...
word for "berry" or "berries" (usually ''olallie'' or ''ollalie'' in most lexicons of the jargon).


History

By the end of the 19th century, the cutting down of all
old-growth forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Natio ...
was well on its way out. Olalla was no exception. The land was stripped clean leaving a barren landscape. This created an opportunity for farming as dynamiting stump and clearing the land became a standard operation. With European immigration fueling the growth spurt, new commerce came by growing strawberries and vegetables. Olalla being a port of commerce flourished as the logging, farming and boat building were king. Olalla was served by many
steamships A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
, including the
Virginia V Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
which is the last operational example of a
Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet The Puget Sound mosquito fleet was a multitude of private transportation companies running smaller passenger and freight boats on Puget Sound and nearby waterways and rivers. This large group of Steamboat, steamers and sternwheelers plied the wat ...
steamer. She was built along the shores just south of Olalla near Maplewood. She was once part of a large fleet of small passenger and freight carrying ships that linked the islands and ports of Puget Sound in
Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On 21 October 1934, a severe Pacific storm swept through the Puget Sound. Virginia V was attempting to dock at Olalla, when the brunt of the storm hit. The powerful winds pushed the ship against the dock as the waves pounded the ship into the pilings. The result was the near destruction of the upper decks. Since the Narrows Bridge was built, Olalla has enjoyed a quiet rural setting while being converted into a residential community for commuters to nearby cities and towns. Olalla Bay Market & Landing (formerly Al's Grocery Store) is the only old structure left by the lagoon and the locals hold it dear to their hearts.


Olalla Community Club

On the way up hill along the Olalla Valley Road from the lagoon, the Olalla Bible Church and the Olalla Community Club stand. The OCC was built around 1906 by the Modern Woodsman of America and in 1937 they deeded the structure to the community. The OCC was incorporated and chartered to serve the community. Its mission is to support the citizen, organizations and maintain the building for social and civic needs. Over the decades, several renovations have taken place. In 1976, the OCC created its non-profit status and in September 2007 a new metal roof was installed. The current president is Marty Kellogg. Next to the OCC is the Olalla Bible Church, built around 1910. Together they represent some of the oldest and largest historic buildings still in working order in South Kitsap.


Arts and culture

Throughout Olalla's history, the strong sense of community has played out in various forms of a community celebrations. Most notable was the Strawberry Festivals in the 60's and beginning in 1991, a 25-year run with the Olalla Bluegrass Festival. Currently, the name has changed to the Olalla Americana Festival to support a wider genre of music. 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. 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 Hazzard for her murder. The original bathtub where Hazzard performed autopsies is still in the house, which has a family residing there.


Notable people

Olalla author
Gregg Olsen Gregg Olsen (born March 5, 1959, in Seattle, Washington) is a ''New York Times'', ''USA Today'' and ''The Wall Street Journal'' bestselling author of nonfiction books and novels, most of which are crime-related. The subjects of his true crime bo ...
wrote about Starvation Heights in his award-winning book of the same name. Olsen acquired Al's, after its shutdown during the
covid pandemic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fev ...
; Kona Ice, a small shaved ice company, operates out of the location.


See also

*
List of Chinook Jargon placenames The following is a listing of placenames from the Chinook Jargon, generally from the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, the Canadian Yukon Territory and the U.S. states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Some outli ...


References

* M.S. Kline, ''Steamboat Virginia V'' (Documentary Book Publishers Corp., 1985) * Roland Carey, ''The Sound of Steamers'' (Alderbrook Publishing Co., 1965) * Roland Carey, ''The Sound And The Mountain'' (Alderbrook Publishing Co., 1970) * Gordon R. Newell, ''Ships of the Inland Sea'' (Binford & Mort, Publishers, 1960) * Jim Faber, ''Steamer’s Wake'' (Enetai Press, 1985)


External links

*
Olalla Americana FestivalStarvation Heights
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Washington (state) Unincorporated communities in Kitsap County, Washington Chinook Jargon place names