First known as Dewey, then Deweyville, Wasco was established as a loading station on the Santa Fe Railroad in 1897. In 1907, a colony was established by the Fourth Home Extension colony on nine sections of land purchased from the Kern County Land Company. The new settlement was named Wasco by William N. Bonham, a former resident of Wasco County, Oregon which took its name from a tribe of Oregon Indians.

Wasco is primarily a agricultural community, boasting crops such as cotton, onions, potatoes, almonds, and is famous for its roses. Each September, Wasco hosts a Rose Festival with activities such as the Rose Queen Pageant, concerts, arts and crafts shows, rose field tours, and chili cook- offs.