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 managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. You can find it right off U.S. Highway 97. It's about 30 miles (48 km) north of Klamath Falls and 105 miles (169 km) south of Bend. The park covers 146 acres (59 ha) along the Williamson River.
Contents
Park History
This park was created in 1945. Two brothers from Klamath Falls, Alfred and Andrew Collier, 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 also donated a huge collection of old logging equipment. This equipment was put on display outdoors at the park. It shows how logging changed over time, from using axes and oxen to modern diesel tractors and logging trucks. The museum also highlights how railroads were important for the timber industry. Alfred Collier kept adding to the collection until he passed away in 1988. Because of his efforts, the museum now has one of the largest collections of logging equipment in the world!
Collier Logging Museum
Collier Memorial State Park is home to the Collier Logging Museum. This outdoor museum has a massive collection of old logging tools and machines. Some items are from the 1880s and are very rare.
Amazing Logging Machines
The collection includes "high wheels" pulled by oxen. These wheels lifted the front of logs off the ground. This made it easier to drag them through the forest to a collection spot. You can also see steam-powered "donkey engines." These machines used steel cables to pull logs to a central area. Later, steam tractors and diesel "cats" did the same job.
One of the newest machines on display is a Beloit tree harvester. One person can operate this machine. It cuts trees near the ground, removes their branches, and stacks the logs onto a logging truck. It does all of this in one continuous process!
Sawmill Displays
There are two areas that show large sawmill 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 chainsaws.
Railroad and Water Transport
The museum also displays railroad equipment used to move logs out of the forest. This includes a Baldwin locomotive that hauled redwood logs in the Mount Shasta area. It took them to sawmills in northern California. There's also a self-powered McGriffert Log Loader built in 1926. It 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 tugboat. This boat towed rafts of logs from Agency Lake to a sawmill at the south end of Upper Klamath Lake. That was a 22-mile (35 km) trip! The tugboat was used on the lake from 1937 to 1943.
Unique Exhibits and Pioneer Life
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 old when Columbus arrived in the New World.
Several logging camp buildings have been moved to the museum site. There are also twelve real pioneer homestead buildings. A logger's cabin is now an exhibit building and gift shop. The pioneer village shows how Oregon families used to live. The buildings also teach about 19th-century building methods used by Oregon pioneers. In the summer, the museum shows movies about old-time logging. They play at 9 p.m. every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.
Museum Improvements
In 2005, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department worked with other groups to improve the museum. They carefully fixed the logging machines, railroad equipment, and historic buildings. They also updated the signs and displays. Now, Collier Memorial State Park has an excellent museum with a world-class collection of logging history.
Fun Activities at the Park
Collier Memorial State Park is in a forest with ponderosa and lodgepole pine trees. The park has great facilities for visitors. You can hike, camp, picnic, or fish in the park.
Trails and Camping
A trailhead gives you access to 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 sites with recreational vehicle hook-ups and 18 tent sites. There are also four horse corrals. The park has modern restrooms, hot showers, and laundry facilities. The park is open for camping from April through October. Campsites are available first-come, first-served.
Fishing in the Williamson River
The park is where the beautiful Williamson River meets Spring Creek. Spring Creek starts from a natural spring about a mile from the park. The underground water that feeds the spring is thought to come from 30 miles (48 km) northeast of the park, near Crater Lake National Park.
The Williamson River is famous for its 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). The redband trout in the Williamson River can even reach record sizes, up to 5 pounds (2.3 kg)!
How to Get There
The park is just off U.S. Highway 97. It's about 30 miles (48 km) north of Klamath Falls and 105 miles (169 km) south of Bend. The area in the Cascade Mountains around the park has cold winters with lots of snow. Because of this, the park is closed for camping from November through March. Summers are usually dry and warm, and all facilities are open from April through October.
