Wasco, OR

Wasco is a Sherman County city in Oregon's wheat country, set high above the Columbia River Gorge between the Deschutes and John Day rivers and close to Biggs Junction. Clark Dunlap settled the town site in 1879, and by the 1880s it had a school, flour mill, shops, and other services for the surrounding farms. The Columbia Southern Railway reached Wasco in 1897; its passenger station and freight warehouse followed in 1898. Flood damage in 1964 ended rail service, and the tracks were removed two years later.

The surviving Wasco Passenger Station and Freight Warehouse is the only Columbia Southern depot still standing. Listed on the National Register in 1991, it sits beside Wasco Depot Park, with a playground, picnic area, skate park, and a full-size caboose. The 1916 Wasco School now houses an events center and volunteer library, so old transportation and school buildings still host community gatherings and library visits. The regional mineral names add another local wrinkle: Biggs jasper comes from near Biggs Junction, while the white clay mineral wascoite takes its name from Wasco.