[3] Prosser was long home to Native Americans who lived and fished along the river.

They called the area "Táptat" (alternatively spelled Tap-tat, Top tut, etc.

[7] Colonel William Farrand Prosser first surveyed the area in 1879, then claimed homestead in 1882.

A town plat was filed by Colonel Prosser in 1885, and in 1886 he was elected Yakima County Auditor.

He moved to North Yakima to attend to these duties, and never returned to the town that he founded.

Lewis Hinzerling built a flour mill at Prosser falls in 1887, encouraging further settlement of the area.

In 1907 a power plant was added and began delivering electricity to the town.

There were no large findings and the Great Depression put an end to exploration.

Intense rivalry and war of words between Benton City, Kennewick, and Prosser preceded the vote.

In 1919, Washington State College (later WSU) established the Irrigation Experiment Station at Prosser.

The program's mandate is to study the problems faced by farmers, orchardists, and ranchers in the dry central part of the state.

The station originally employed scientists from the college in Pullman, who partnered with scientists from the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

[9] In more recent years, Prosser's location on a major river (the Yakima) and highway access has encouraged a growing wine business and associated tourist industry.

Ancestries: German (17.3%), English (10.8%), Irish (9.3%), United States (6.8%), Norwegian (4.3%), French (4.2%), 12.5% Foreign born (99.1% Mexican).

[citation needed] Prosser now has nearly 30 wineries in the city and surrounding areas.

KZXR-FM (101.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a regional Mexican music format.