The Collier Memorial State Park Logging Museum in Southern Oregon

GOOD TO KNOW

Parking is free at Collier Memorial State Park and there is no charge to enter the Logging Museum. The museum has very nice, modern restrooms and picnic tables. An additional day use area is nearby, and a lovely riverside trail connects the Logging Museum with the Spring Creek boat launch site and the Collier Memorial campground. Pets on leash are allowed. As noted above, the campground and river access are currently closed due to fire damage in September, 2020. Please check the Oregon State Parks website for updates. In the past, various summer events and a Living History Day have been held at the museum. In 2020, those events were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Check with Oregon State Parks for future event information.

HIGHLIGHTS

If you love old logging equipment, it doesn’t get much better than the Logging Museum at Collier Memorial State Park! But even if logging isn’t your thing, this is a fascinating open air museum to visit. Since logging is deeply intertwined with the history of this region, you’ll learn a lot about Oregon’s recent past, starting with the waves of white settlers who arrived in the mid-to-late 1800s. It’s not a comprehensive history, of course, but gives an excellent look into what life was like at these early logging camps, and how changing technology has impacted both the logging industry and lifestyle over time.

It’s not all about the machines, either. Visit the Historic Cabin Village for insight into the everyday lives of logging families in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Informative signs throughout the museum take you on a self-guided tour, and a brochure with further information is available.

THE KIDS’ TAKE

My boys went crazy for this place! If your kids are into machinery of any kind and enjoy running around outside, then the Collier Memorial Logging Museum was made for them. There are so many different machines, and not only do you get to see them, but you can actually touch them. In some cases you can even climb on them! As T says, “Can we come back here, Mom?”

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

When visiting Collier Memorial State Park, don’t forget to stop by Spring Creek! The crystal-clear waters of Spring Creek make it one of the finest places to paddle in Southern Oregon. Please note: As stated above, river access is currently closed due to wildfire damage. Please check the Oregon State Parks website before planning to paddle. Even if you don’t have a boat, it’s worth stopping by just to view this incredible waterway. Picnic tables and a restroom are available on the shore.

If you want to spend more time in the area, try the Collier Memorial State Park campground (currently closed due to fire damage). Nearby, the Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site offers kayaking, camping, and hiking opportunities. Crater Lake National Park is about an hour’s drive northwest, making Collier Memorial a great stop for those traveling between Crater Lake and Klamath Falls.

Our visit to Collier Memorial State Park began with a beautiful (and somewhat unexpected — you can red about it here) paddle along gorgeous Spring Creek, followed by a lovely picnic by the river. At that point, we could easily have been on our way. After all, we had a long drive ahead to reach our campsite at Medicine Lake that night. Still, I couldn’t pass up the chance to stop by the Logging Museum, knowing that J and T would absolutely love it. On a long road trip, an extra stop to make the kids happy is generally time well spent.

For a free museum, a lot of care has gone into creating the Logging Museum. The log architecture is beautiful, the restrooms are new and well kept, and interpretive signs throughout the park are engaging and informative. Pine trees provide welcome shade on hot summer days.

The boys were immediately enraptured by all the heavy machinery — trains, trucks, log loaders, and all manner of mystery equipment. They delighted in calling out the names of machines they recognized, and frequently asked for explanations for the many they didn’t. Fortunately, signs helpfully explain what, exactly, many of these mystery machines are. Take the “snag pusher” pictured below, for example.

Other fun touches abound, such as the carved benches placed around the park. Different trails showcase different aspects of logging, from the processing of trees into timber, to the evolution of logging practices led by changing technology.

For those less interested in the mechanics of logging, the Historic Cabin Village focuses more on daily life. These cabins may be charming to see now, nestled together under the peaceful pines, but for the people who once inhabited them, life was hard. I reflected on my own ancestors’ past. Both Michael and I are descended from settlers who came to the Pacific Northwest in the mid-1800s. Unsurprisingly, some were loggers and even built and ran saw mills — my family on the Columbia River, and Michael’s on Puget Sound. Locating a mill along a major water source was key to transporting logs in the days before log trucks.

Although I knew the boys could happily stay longer, I went to round them up after about an hour. Our long drive into the wilderness of Northern California still lay ahead. But the Collier Memorial Logging Museum was definitely worth our time. For T and J, it was a highlight of our trip. Personally, kayaking in Spring Creek was my high point, but I have to say I enjoyed the museum, too. “Can we come here again?” T asked. Yes, T, I hope we can.