Collier Memorial State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Collier Memorial State Park |
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Collier Logging Museum sign
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| Type | Public, state |
| Location | Klamath County, Oregon |
| Nearest city | Klamath Falls |
| Area | 146 acres (59 ha) |
| Operated by | Oregon Parks and Recreation Department |
Collier Memorial State Park is a cool state park in southern Oregon. It's a great place to learn about the history of logging and enjoy nature. The park is run by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
You can find it on U.S. Highway 97. It's about 30 miles (48 km) north of Klamath Falls. The park covers 146 acres (59 ha) right along the Williamson River.
Park History
The park started in 1945 thanks to two brothers, Alfred and Andrew Collier. They were from Klamath Falls. They gave 146 acres (59 ha) of land to the state of Oregon. They wanted the park to honor their parents, Charles Morse Collier and Janet McCornack Collier.
In 1947, the Collier brothers gave another gift. They donated a huge collection of old logging equipment. This equipment became an outdoor logging museum at the park. The museum shows how logging changed over time. You can see everything from early axes and oxen to modern diesel tractors. The museum also shows how railroads helped the timber industry grow. Alfred Collier kept adding to the collection until he passed away in 1988. Because of his efforts, the museum now has one of the biggest logging equipment collections in the world!
Collier Logging Museum
Collier Memorial State Park is famous for its Collier Logging Museum. This outdoor museum has a giant collection of old logging tools and machines. Some items are from the 1880s and are very rare.
You can see "high wheels" that were pulled by oxen. These wheels lifted the front of logs off the ground. This made it easier to drag them through the forest. There are also steam-powered "donkey engines." These machines used strong steel cables to pull logs to a central spot. Later, steam tractors and diesel "cats" did the same job.
One of the newest machines on display is a Beloit tree harvester. Just one person can operate this machine. It cuts trees, removes their branches, and stacks the logs onto a truck. It does all this in one smooth process!
The museum also has two areas showing large saw mill machines. One exhibit is a full band saw from the Edward Hines lumber mill. This saw turned trees into lumber from 1930 until 1980. A newer building holds a sawmill steam plant and a collection of chain saws.
You can also see railroad equipment that moved logs out of the forest. This includes a Baldwin locomotive. It was used near Mount Shasta to haul giant redwood logs. These logs went to sawmills in northern California. There's a McGiffert Log Loader built in 1926. It could move itself and was used until 1962. The museum even has a 1923 Clyde track laying machine. It's one of only two still existing! Weyerhaeuser used it in Klamath County until 1959.
The museum even has a diesel-powered tug boat. This boat towed huge rafts of logs across Agency Lake to a sawmill. That was a 22-mile (35 km) trip! The tug boat worked on the lake from 1937 to 1943.
One amazing exhibit is a 16-foot (4.9 m) cross-section from the biggest Douglas fir tree ever cut. This giant tree was already very old when Columbus arrived in the New World. The museum also has several old logging camp buildings. Plus, there are twelve real pioneer homestead buildings. This pioneer village shows how Oregon families lived long ago. It also teaches about building styles from the 1800s.
In 2005, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department worked with others to fix up the museum. They carefully restored the old machines, railroad equipment, and historic buildings. They also updated the signs and displays. Now, Collier Memorial State Park has an amazing museum with a world-class collection.
In 2013, a replica of a 1920s logging camp Cookhouse was built. Today, this building is the visitor center and gift shop. It also has exhibits, including a chainsaw collection. There's also an exhibit about the Two Four Two fire. This fire burned over 400 acres of the park in 2020.
Fun Activities at the Park
Collier Memorial State Park is surrounded by beautiful ponderosa and lodgepole pine trees. The park has many great things to do. You can hike, camp, picnic, or fish here.
There are many hiking trails in the forest. A popular horse trail goes from Collier State Park to Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site. The park has 50 spots for RVs with hook-ups. There are also 18 tent sites. You'll find four horse corrals too. The park offers modern restrooms, hot showers, and laundry facilities. You can camp here from April through October. Campsites are available first-come, first-served.
The park is where the beautiful Williamson River meets Spring Creek. Spring Creek starts from a natural spring about a mile away. The water for this spring might come from the east side of Crater Lake National Park. The Williamson River is famous for its amazing trout fishing. You can find brook, rainbow, and native Great Basin redband trout here. The brook and rainbow trout often grow to 20 inches (510 mm) long. The redband trout in the Williamson River can get super big, up to 5 pounds (2.3 kg)!
How to Get There
The park is right off U.S. Highway 97. It's about 30 miles (48 km) north of Klamath Falls. The area near the Cascade Mountains gets very cold winters with lots of snow. So, the park is closed for camping from November through March. Summers are usually dry and warm. All park facilities are open from April through October.
