The park was established in 1945 when two brothers from Klamath Falls, Alfred and Andrew Collier, donated 146 acres (59 ha) to the state of Oregon.

Steam-powered "donkey engines" used steel cables to haul logs to a collection point.

[3] The museum also displays railroad equipment used to transport logs out of the forest, including a Baldwin locomotive used in the Mount Shasta area to haul redwood logs to saw mills in northern California.

The museum even has a diesel-powered tug boat used to tow rafts of logs from an Agency Lake collection site to a saw mill at the south end of Upper Klamath Lake, a 22-mile (35 km) trip.

[3][4] One of the most impressive exhibits is a 16-foot (4.9 m) cross section from the largest Douglas fir tree ever cut.

[5] In addition, several logging camp structures have been relocated to the museum site along with twelve authentic pioneer homestead buildings.

The project carefully restored logging machinery, railroad equipment, historic buildings, and other museum artifacts.

As a result, Collier Memorial State Park has an excellent museum with a world-class collection of logging equipment and artifacts.

Collier Memorial State Park is located in an area forested with ponderosa and lodgepole pine.

Brook, rainbow, and native Great Basin redband trout are found in the Williamson River in this area.

Summers are generally dry with warm temperatures, and all facilities are open from April through October.