The artifact collection in Steiner Museum began with the personal collections of Earl Steiner. Born in Morrison, Illinois in 1902, his family moved to Michigan when Earl was very young and he spent the rest of his life in Oscoda County. He died in 1979. All his life he was a 'collector.' His enthusiasm inspired local civic groups and citizens to eventually provide land and buildings to house his collection. Over the years Earl Steiner's collections have been added to by donations from those who wanted logging and pioneering history and artifacts preserved. Cataloging is in progress. Steiner Museum is owned by the county of Oscoda and it's six townships. Volunteers operate the museum, the majority of them as a member of the Friends of Steiner Museum, a non-profit tax exempt corporation.