Dr. and Mrs. Isaac Dunap
The bequest society at Walla Walla General Hospital is named in honor of Dr. Isaac and Mrs. Maggie Dunlap, the founders of Walla Walla Sanitarium in 1889. Dr. Dunlap was business manager at Walla Walla College during its inaugural year, and had left to study medicine. His four-year training was concentrated at Battle Creek Sanitarium, with additional clinical experience in Chicago.

The Dunlaps opened treatment rooms in the basement of the college, and during the first year of operation some 3,000 treatments were given. For the first few years the Walla Walla Sanitarium—which was considered a branch of the Battle Creek Sanitarium—was frequently relocated as it continued to grow. In 1906 it purchased the old College Place public schoolhouse, which had been outgrown.

George Rulaford and his son Cecil moved the one-story structure to the campus of Walla Walla College. Once in its permanent location, the building was hoisted on jacks, and a new floor was added underneath, preserving the original roof line. It was transformed into a graceful two-story sanitarium with wide verandas, reminiscent of the Battle Creek Sanitarium.

Six hundred curious people attended the dedication ceremony of the schoolhouse turned sanitarium on June 3, 1907. Dr. Dunlap served as master of ceremonies, inviting guests to tour the building and drink lemonade on the college lawn.