In 1945 Alfred and Andrew Collier of Klamath Falls gave 146 acres of land to the state of Oregon as a memorial to their parents. That property today is Collier Memorial State Park. The Logging Museum began in 1947 when the ollier brothers donated a collection of antique logging equipment. It is located north of Klamath Falls, OR on Hwy. 97.
In the late 1800s, the use of "high wheels" developed and wheelskidding became common. These wheels, 8-10 feet in diameter, could carry logs suspended under the axle. Grapple hooks were attached to logs and as oxen, and later horses, moved forward, the logs were lifted from the ground. The back end of the logs acted as a brake when the load moved down the steep grades. To drop the load, the actions was reversed. In steep terrain, runaways were frequent.
One of the more important and rarer pieces of equipment at the museum is the McGiffert Log Loader. Purchased in 1926 for $15,300, it was used until 1962. It hunched down on the railroad ties, tucked its wheels up into its belly and moved the log cars through its innards into loading position. A crew of 4 could load an average of 250,000-300,000 feet of logs in a day and under ideal conditions, load 400,000 feet of logs in one day.
After we quit "roaming" around the country, maybe I'll find a little log cabin in which to live. Can't be any smaller than the RV at 400 square feet! This was a homesteader's cabin.
All the buildings are authentic cabins and stores from the hills of Oregon. This particular building was the Bear Flat General Store. Not exactly a super Walmart!
This 702 year old Douglas Fir, one of the largest in the world, was located on a tree farm outside Seaside, OR. It was over 200 years old when Columbus discovered America. The diameter at the base was more than 15 feet and it towered 200 feet into the sky. This cross section was cut from a point 38 feet above the ground. Had the tree been cut into 2x4s and laid end to end it would have stretched 28 miles! It was toppled in 1962 in a Columbus Day windstorm.
In the late 1800s, the use of "high wheels" developed and wheelskidding became common. These wheels, 8-10 feet in diameter, could carry logs suspended under the axle. Grapple hooks were attached to logs and as oxen, and later horses, moved forward, the logs were lifted from the ground. The back end of the logs acted as a brake when the load moved down the steep grades. To drop the load, the actions was reversed. In steep terrain, runaways were frequent.
One of the more important and rarer pieces of equipment at the museum is the McGiffert Log Loader. Purchased in 1926 for $15,300, it was used until 1962. It hunched down on the railroad ties, tucked its wheels up into its belly and moved the log cars through its innards into loading position. A crew of 4 could load an average of 250,000-300,000 feet of logs in a day and under ideal conditions, load 400,000 feet of logs in one day.
You know Bill, always looking for a "new" truck.! However, I don't think this one would pull the RV.
After we quit "roaming" around the country, maybe I'll find a little log cabin in which to live. Can't be any smaller than the RV at 400 square feet! This was a homesteader's cabin.
All the buildings are authentic cabins and stores from the hills of Oregon. This particular building was the Bear Flat General Store. Not exactly a super Walmart!
One of the most modern pieces of equipment in the museum is the Beloit Tree Harvestor. It is operated by one person and literally takes the place of an entire logging crew of 100 years ago. It shears the tree off near ground level, removes its limbs and stacks it for loading onto the logging truck.
This was a very educational museum and well worth the visit.
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