Wasco, Oregon
By Steve Lent, Crook County Historian
Nestled between the Deschutes and John Day Rivers, the small town of Wasco, Oregon, holds a story steeped in history and resilience. Just nine miles south of Biggs, Wasco sits near the historic Barlow Trail, a critical cutoff of the Oregon Trail that helped countless pioneers navigate their way westward. Long before Euro-American settlers arrived in the 1870s, the region was an ancestral hunting and gathering ground for Native American tribes.
The first glimmer of a settlement appeared with Spanish Hollow, a community established north of present-day Wasco. On March 2, 1870, Spanish Hollow gained a post office, with Jesse Eaton as its first postmaster. Eaton’s homestead served as a welcoming stop for weary travelers—a testament to the area's early role as a waystation.
In 1882, the post office moved slightly south and was renamed Wasco, drawing its name from the county it belonged to and the Native American term wacquio, meaning a small bowl or cup. By 1883, Wasco had grown enough to warrant a formal townsite, and the community soon thrived as a hub for local ranchers and wheat farmers.
In its heyday, Wasco was a bustling frontier town with two hotels, two banks, two flour mills, a school, saloons, and a variety of other businesses. When Sherman County was carved out of Wasco County in 1889, Wasco briefly held the title of county seat until Moro claimed it in 1893. However, Wasco earned another distinction as the first incorporated community in Sherman County in 1898.
The arrival of the Columbia Southern Railway in 1897 cemented Wasco’s role as a transport hub, linking local wheat, barley, and livestock farms to the broader rail network along the Columbia River. This railway boom brought prosperity to the town, but like many rural communities, Wasco faced challenges as the decades passed.
By 1930, Wasco saw its population dwindle as farmers sought opportunities in urban centers. The closure of the Columbia Southern Railway in 1936 dealt another blow, and the line was abandoned entirely by 1966.
Despite these setbacks, Wasco endures. Wheat farming remains a cornerstone of the local economy, but the recent addition of wind turbines has brought renewed energy—both figuratively and literally—to the area. Today, with a population of 437 (as of the 2023 census), Wasco balances its storied past with a forward-looking approach, embracing innovation while honoring the traditions that shaped it.