I have probably passed the Collier Logging Museum at Collier Memorial State Park well over a hundred times in my life without ever stopping there. It was during a trip from San Francisco back to Portland in June 2012 where I had decided to take Highway 97 through Oregon’s High Desert area that I finally stopped here on a whim.

What I found was one of the most interesting historic museums that I’ve ever been too. Granted it is a museum dedicated to logging. It also has large amounts of what we would have charitably called “junk” when we were kids. Much of this seems strewn about haphazardly. The museum is also spread out over quite a large area and took nearly an hour to walk through. If I had stopped to examine items more thoroughly it could have easily taken two or three hours.

The museum is split into several eras. Pre-Industrial, Steam Engine, Large Scale Logging, and a pioneer village. This last interested me the most.

Read on about the history of Explorers and Pioneers in Southern Oregon

Skip to Part 3 – Peter Skene Ogden and the Williamson River
Skip to Part 4 – The Pacific Railroad Surveys of 1855