Collinston is mentioned as the approximate location where Captain John C. Frémont crossed the Bear River in 1843.[4]
The town was originally known as Hampton or Hampton Ford. It was named for Ben Hampton, who, with William Godbe, operated a toll ferry across the Bear River from 1867 to 1868. James Standing later bought the ferry and bridge rights and moved the town to higher ground 1 mile (1.6 km) east. The name was changed to Collinston, after Utah Northern Railroad conductor Collins Fulmer.[5]