2008 Celebrate Media Release April 7, 2008
Oil Springs Grabbing National Media Attention
The Lambton County Village of Oil Springs, Ontario has less than 800 souls but its oil history is grabbing national media attention this year.
It’s all because 2008 is the 150th anniversary of the first commercial oil well, and more importantly, Oil Springs is where the modern oil industry first ignited in 1858. The well of 1858 triggered the great oil rush and oil fever ran rampant. Oil Springs’ population ballooned as 4,000 men streamed in, hoping to make their fortune.
Those heady times are being celebrated in many different ways this year. On April 24, at 9 p.m., History Television will be airing the third episode of Working Over Time which features actor Jeff Douglas (of “I Am Canadian” fame) in pioneer clothes explaining the workings of Oil Springs. Jumping on a spring pole, Douglas turns to the camera and says, “The first commercial oil well in the world was drilled right here in Canada, in Ontario to be exact.” His voice drops to a whisper as he adds, “They called it Black Gold.”
The segment also shows a 40-foot three-pole derrick being erected by a team of Belgian horses. Raising derricks this way is something that hasn’t been seen in this area in 50 years though it was once a common sight. As well, there are interviews with Charlie Fairbank, whose family has operated an oil field since 1861 and still pumps oil from 350 wells using the technology of the pioneers.
On May 2, Oil Springs will be gaining attention when the new 52-cent national stamp is unveiled by Canada Post at The Oil Museum of Canada, a National Historic Site in Oil Springs. The stamp features drawings of Charles Tripp and James. M. Williams with a photograph of early oil derricks in the background. Tripp is credited with creating the world’s first oil company and Williams, who dug the first well, is known as the father of refining.
In June, two national magazines will be carrying stories and photos of Oil Springs. The Beaver, Canada’s top history magazine, is running a story called Ontario Crude. The current issue promotes it saying, “The modern oil industry got its start, not in Texas, not Saudi Arabia and not Alberta but in the swampy backwater of southwestern Ontario. Gary May wrote the story and he is the author of Hard Oiler! The Story of Early Canadians’ Quest for Oil at Home and Abroad.
Also, the magazine Our Canada will feature a story on two dozen life-sized metal sculptures at Fairbank Oil Properties which depict various stages of oil production. Each of the sculptures is based on a real person connected to the oil business. Local writer Noreen Bradshaw wrote the piece and interviewed the Oil Springs metal sculptor, Murray Watson.
This spring, two new books are being published, each focusing on different aspects of the petroleum history. On April 19, 19th Century Petroleum Technology in North America will be released. Its author is Dr. Emory Kemp, of the Institute for the History of Technology and Industrial Archaeology at West Virginia University.
Later this month, Ontario’s Petroleum Legacy by Earle Gray will be published. For 20 years Gray was the editor of Oilweek magazine and this is his 11th book on oil.
The oil industry is joining the celebration too. A special 150th anniversary commemorative issue of Ontario Oil and Gas magazine will be featured at the enormous Global Petroleum Show in Calgary on June 6. It will be further distributed at the Oil Sands Tradeshow in Edmonton, World Petroleum Congress in Madrid, Spain along with 35 other regional Oil and Gas shows attended by JuneWarrren publishing. The Ontario Petroleum Institute and JuneWarren Publications are jointly producing the issue. The print run of 12,000 will be distributed throughout Canada and the U.S.
More information on the 150th anniversary can be found at www.2008celebrate.com
For more information on this release Contact Pat McGee (519) 834-2677 |