The document discusses the early history of oil and gas in Canada, including the first discoveries of oil in Canada in 1778 and 1858. It details Canada's first commercial oil wells in Ontario and the subsequent development of Canada's first petroleum complex at Petrolia, Ontario in the 1860s, which supplied much of Canada and some exports' oil needs until the 1870s. The document also notes that Canadians trained in early Canadian oil production helped open major oil fields around the world in the late 1800s.
The document discusses the early history of oil and gas in Canada, including the first discoveries of oil in Canada in 1778 and 1858. It details Canada's first commercial oil wells in Ontario and the subsequent development of Canada's first petroleum complex at Petrolia, Ontario in the 1860s, which supplied much of Canada and some exports' oil needs until the 1870s. The document also notes that Canadians trained in early Canadian oil production helped open major oil fields around the world in the late 1800s.
The document discusses the early history of oil and gas in Canada, including the first discoveries of oil in Canada in 1778 and 1858. It details Canada's first commercial oil wells in Ontario and the subsequent development of Canada's first petroleum complex at Petrolia, Ontario in the 1860s, which supplied much of Canada and some exports' oil needs until the 1870s. The document also notes that Canadians trained in early Canadian oil production helped open major oil fields around the world in the late 1800s.
The document discusses the early history of oil and gas in Canada, including the first discoveries of oil in Canada in 1778 and 1858. It details Canada's first commercial oil wells in Ontario and the subsequent development of Canada's first petroleum complex at Petrolia, Ontario in the 1860s, which supplied much of Canada and some exports' oil needs until the 1870s. The document also notes that Canadians trained in early Canadian oil production helped open major oil fields around the world in the late 1800s.
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OIL and GAS IN CANADA
Peter Pond was the first non-native to report the discovery of oil in Canada in 1778 at what is now the Athabasca oil sands. Canada's first commercial oil wells were found in Oil Springs and Petrolia, near Sarnia, Ontario, in 1858, a year before Edwin Drake's discovery at Oil Springs (Titusville), Pennsylvania. Both the Oil Springs discoveries were known before these dates from flowing seeps.
Oil in Alberta on 1950 Canadian postage stamp, showing two drilling
derricks, storage tanks, and flaring of "waste" gas,1914 - 1918 era ==> .
Canada produced some shale oil from deposits
in New Brunswick in the mid-1800's. The mineral was called Albertite and was originally believed to be a form of coal.
Albert Mine, near Moncton, New
Brunswick, c. 1850's
Later, the nature of the mineral and its relation
to the surrounding oil shale was described correctly. Abraham Gesner used Albertite in his early experiments to distill liquid fuel from coal and solid bitumen. He is credited with the invention of kerosene in 1846, and built a significant commercial distillery to provide lighting oil to replace whale oil in eastern Canada and USA. In the 1880's, shale oil was abandoned as a source of kerosene in favour of distillation from liquid petroleum.
The subsequent development of Canada's first petroleum complex at
Petrolia in Ontario is a little known part of the industrial saga of the oil industry. Canada's chemical valley in Sarnia traces its ancestry directly to this area. During the period 1861 to 1897, nearly the entire requirement of Canada for crude, lubricants, waxes, kerosene, gasoline, and a widening range of chemicals for food, medicine, and industry was produced here. From 1863 to 1870, Canada was a major exporter of crude and refined products to the United States and Europe.
Early oil well at Petrolia, Ontario, Canada c. 1860's
The contribution that Canadians made to the world's petroleum industry during the same period is even less appreciated. Men trained in the production, transportation, refining, and administration of this new resource, took their knowledge and skills to every corner of the world, opening many of the great oil fields that are still major suppliers of crude. They laboured on every continent in a hundred different countries. And the tradition continues to this day.
