Looking back on the history of....

the Oil and Gas industry, one could compare it to that of a roller coaster. Full of up's and down's with fast starts and bumpy finishes. Many events make up the ever changing history of Oil and Gas. From political battles between the provinces and the federal government to major corporate buyouts. Our attempt here is to shine the light on the significant events that make up this rich history. Some of the events that stand out as the corner stone of the history of the oil and gas industry are...

Ask any of Canada's exploration professionals when Western Canada's oil industry began, and you will get one of two answers. The first is the Dingman #1 discovery, which began disgorging wet gas at Turner Valley in 1914. The second is Imperial's 1947 oil discovery at Leduc.

I want to suggest that another event was equally pivotal. The year was 1914...

Fifty years after a roaring column of burning oil and gas shot flames 15 metres into the air at Imperial Oil Limited's Leduc No. 1 well, the province of Alberta continues to reap the benefits of an established oil and gas industry and has become a leader in developing and producing natural resources.

This August [1998], veterans of the Alberta oil boom will gather at Redwater, for what could be the last time, at the town's annual Discovery Days to reminisce and celebrate 50 years since the largest oil find ever made in Canada.

In 1921 Alberta was a mere 16 years old, its population was just 588,000. The mainstay of the economy was agriculture and residents heated their homes with wood and coal. The discovery of conventional crude oil was years away. Yet even then, a group of farsighted individuals saw the potential for a booming hydrocarbon future.