Latest / Mysterious Pacific Northwest
From Utopia to Scandal: The Rajneeshpuram Saga
In this episode, we explore the controversial story of Rajneeshpuram, a commune in Oregon founded in the early 1980s by followers of Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The community rapidly grew to over 7,000 residents, creating a self-sufficient city. Tensions with locals and authorities peaked with a 1984 bioterror attack, where followers poisoned salad bars in The Dalles, Oregon, sickening 751 people to influence local elections. This brought national attention and increased scrutiny. By 1985, Rajneeshpuram dissolved due to legal pressures and internal conflicts, leading to Rajneesh’s…
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