4381 Discovery Line, Petrolia

www.petroliadiscovery.com

An 1860s Oil Field in Action
By: Bob McCarthy

During the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s, very few people journeyed beyond the cities and towns in which they lived. An exception to this was the adventurous Hard Oilers, Lambton’s pioneer oilmen who traveled the earth to discover and begin most of the oil areas of the world, from the far north in the Arctic to the far south in Australia. Much of this story is on view at the Petrolia Discovery, a one-of-a-kind museum combining history and artifacts from the world’s first Oil Industry within the framework of an original and still operational oilfield, established in the 1870s. Visitors will be better able to understand the difficult life faced by the oil pioneers. Here is a visual record of the men who began with the discovery of oil here and then spread out across the globe helping to build what is now one the world’s biggest industries. The distinctive 3 pole derricks cover Discovery’s landscape and were employed to remove rods and tubing from the wells. Oil tankers were the main mode of transportation for moving oil from well to storage tanks to refinery. Today, oil is still pumped in the Oil Springs and Petrolia fields by central power plants, some using distinctive jerker rods which reach out to each well just as they did over 100 years ago. At the Petrolia Discovery, you will find an operational historic oilfield located on 60 acres in Lambton County’s historic Oil Heritage District, an oilfield which has been set aside as a living museum and a testament to Canada’s oil pioneers. The Petrolia Discovery, with museum-style exhibits detailing the major historic contributions of these extraordinary men, is located alongside an ancient but still fully-functional oilfield where the visitor can see crude oil being drawn from the ground before their very eyes, exactly as it was being done in the second half of the 1800’ s. At the Petrolia Discovery, you will experience a fascinating, one-of-a-kind glimpse into the early days of the world’s oil boom. From the first, hand-dug wells of the 1850s, to the great refineries and machine shops, which abounded at the turn of the century, Petrolia’s Oil Heritage runs as old and as deep as the wells themselves. As well as experiencing the historical displays and the informative movies, you will be able to see an authentic 1860s oilfield in action.

Take in the Black Gold Raffle: this annual event sponsored by Petrolia Discovery is to raise funds for its operations. Winners win partial revenues from one of the producing wells at the site.