Western Canada's 1st Producing Oil Well

, (Panel 1) , Bears Discover Oil?! , Oil seeps in this area were well known to Aboriginal peoples, who may have found them while observing bears. Bears are attracted by the smell of oil and may roll in it to rid themselves of insects. Aboriginal peoples used oil as a medicine., Beginning in the 1870s the search was on for oil in western Canada. Drawing on Native lore, locals looked for oil seepages, and eventually found oil covered pools near here. This led to oil exploration in this area in the 1880s, followed by some commercial use of the oil., In 1889, Allan Patrick became the first person to file a mineral claim on the oil seeps near Oil Creek (now known as Cameron Creek). In following years, over 150 land claims were staked throughout the region. Access problems likely foiled attempts to transport equipment to claims along Oil Creek. Several drilling attempts were made in the region, including one near Middle Waterton Lake - all failed. By 1893, drilling ended due to lack of expertise or money, and the claims were abandoned., Messy Business , In 1898, William Aldridge was the first to commercially use oil from the seepages, making a living for nearly 7 years. He acquired the oil mainly by soaking it up with gunny sacks and skimming it from sluice boxes. He produced about 10-15 gallons per day, transporting it out on pack horses. He sold it locally as a lubricant and medicine. , , [Captions:] , Wildlife tracks are common in the oil-saturated ground surrounding oil pools in this area., The Aldridge family lived near Middle Waterton Lake, later moving to Oil Creek. When the boom ended, they relocated to Cardston. , Glenbow Archives NC-7-451, (Panel 2) , Alberta's Oil Boom Started Here , The 'Lineham Discovery Well' was not the first attempt to drill for oil in western Canada, but it was the first well to produce saleable amounts of oil., In 1897, John Lineham established a mineral claim beside Oil Creek, then formed the Rocky Mountain Development Company with A.P. Patrick, and G.K. Leeson. Its head office was in Pincher Creek., In late 1901, they hauled heavy equipment on a narrow horse trail over the prairie and through the mountains to their claim by Oil Creek. They erected a “Canadian Pole” rig made entirely of wood and powered by a 35 horse-power steam boiler. Drilling progressed slowly, averaging only 30 feet per day, due to equipment problems, inexperience and accidents., Finally, on September 21st, 1902 they struck a strong flow of oil. The early output was said to be 300 barrels a day. Oil Creek lived up to its name as much of the initial oil flowed downstream., A short time later, the well casing failed and gravel fell into the hole, causing the drilling tools to get stuck. Attempts to dislodge the tools by increasing steam pressure resulted in a burst boiler. This shut down the operation for the season. In 1904, with the well cleaned out, the crew installed a pump to feed a small refinery. About 8,000 barrels of oil may have been extracted before the well was abandoned when drill tools jammed in the well bore again. Efforts to reopen the well were unsuccessful., [Caption:] , The well was drilled by tools hanging from a tripod rig. Rock was broken by raising then dropping the drill bit, with frequent stops to pull out and sharpen it. Cuttings were removed by pouring water into the hold, then hauling up the slurry. It was slow, dangerous work. , Glenbow Archives NA-1 585-3, (Panel 3) , Brief Success and Future Fortune , Due to mistaken and incomplete records, it's impossible to compile a list of all the wells drilled during the boom in this region, but estimates suggest there were about 25. Despite further attempts by the Rocky Mountain Development Company and other companies until 1939, none were commercially viable., We now know the oil here is the result of slow seepages from much deeper rock layers. Trapped along a fault line, it pooled close to the surface, forming a very small reservoir., Operations elsewhere in Alberta revealed vast petroleum and natural gas reserves which formed the core of Canada's oil industry. Oil and gas activity still plays a vital role in the region around the national park., [Captions:] , Over time, machinery and buildings deteriorated. A clean up was held here in 1942 as part of a wartime scrap metal drive, and the government carried out further clean ups in the 1960s for safety reasons., Shortly after the well site was declared a national historic site in 1965, a monument incorporating the embedded drill tools was installed. The monument evokes the style of later drilling rigs seen in this 1932 photograph. , Glenbow Archives NA-700-3, “Alberta's first oil boom was short-lived…The obstacles were too great. The roads and trails were far too rugged to permit transportation of heavy equipment, and once the oil was extracted, it had to be transported out of the “field' on the backs of mules at prohibitive costs. The closest refining facilities were at Vancouver and Sarnia… Initial investments were expended and people refused to risk their money any further...Oil City was left with nothing but empty buildings and shattered dreams.” , From “Oil City”, J.F. Dormaar and R.A. Watt , W.B. Curzon 1928 photo,