Wasco is one of those tiny towns that sit just far enough off the main highway you may never even notice it as you speed past. But like many small towns, it’s home to a vital community of people who are proud of their town’s history and are always looking forward to its future. This hour-long episode of California’s Gold originally aired in February 2008. The city of Wasco (formerly Deweyville) was incorporated in 1945 but traces its roots back to 1895, when the Santa Fe Railroad opened the area to development. More recently, Wasco has been the site of a California Department of Corrections reception center since 1991 as well as the headquarters of the Tejon Indian Tribe of California. The city recently voted to form its own police department, and its new police chief, Charlie Fivecoat, was sworn in on December 20, 2022.

The small town of Wasco in Kern County is famous for its roses. There’s nothing like acres and acres of rose bushes to stimulate the eyes and your nose. Huell gets a behind the scenes tour of how rose bushes are harvested, packaged and shipped to nurseries and home centers all over the country. He’ll also hook up with a couple of town historians who show him the rest of Wasco and teach him about the town’s rich history.

(Click on the linked image below to see the video.)