Oil Springs, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Oil Springs is a village in Lambton County, Ontario
, Canada, located along Former Provincial Highway 21 south of Oil City. The village, an enclave within Enniskillen Township
, is home to the Oil Museum of Canada.
The CKCO-3
Channel 42 Television Tower is located near Oil Springs. It's the fifth tallest guyed antenna in Canada at 994 feet (303 m).
set out to dig a water well in 1858 and found free oil instead.
Williams' discovery triggered North America's first oil rush and the village's name was changed to Oil Springs that same year. Within a few years, Oil Springs was a bustling town with four thousand residents and in its peak days boasted paved roads, horse-drawn buses and street lamps.
John Henry Fairbank
, a surveyor turned oil man who came to Oil Springs in 1861, bought some property and despite incurring debts and suffering family tragedies, Fairbank struck it rich, founding the successful Fairbank Oil Company that is now the oldest petroleum company in the world. He also invented the jerker line, a method used to pump oil to the surface from multiple wells using a shared steam engine
. Jerker lines are still used to pump oil in Oil Springs today.
On January 16, 1862, Hugh Nixon Shaw using a springboard to chip through rock, created Canada's first oil gusher
(located on Gypsie Flats Road). It shot oil from over 60 metres (196.9 ft) below ground to above the treetops at a rate of 3000 barrels per day. A year later, a plank road
was built from Oil Springs to Wyoming rail station.
In 1865, the place separated from Enniskillen Township and was incorporated as a village. A year later, Bernard King struck oil at Petrolia
, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north of Oil Springs. Petrolia quickly replaced Oil Springs as Canada's oil capital, leaving Oil Springs almost abandoned.
In 1881, more oil was discovered at a deeper level, resulting in another oil boom for Oil Springs. Two oil pipelines were built to Petrolia, and in 1886, a spur line of the Canada Southern Railway
connected the village to Oil City (operating until 1960).
In 1914, Charles Fairbank, son of John Henry, found a gas gusher in Oil Springs that was deemed the biggest gusher in Canada.
In the 1930s, a fire destroyed all of the original oil rigs on the William's property and by 1974, the last receiving station of Imperial Oil
closed.
In 2008, the 150th anniversary of Williams' discovery, Canada Post
issued a stamp commemorating this first commercial oil well, featuring portraits of Charles Tripp and Williams.
Lambton County, Ontario
Lambton County is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county is located in Southwestern Ontario. It is bordered on the north by Lake Huron, which flows into the St. Clair River, the county's western border and part of the Canada-United States border. To the south is Lake...
, Canada, located along Former Provincial Highway 21 south of Oil City. The village, an enclave within Enniskillen Township
Enniskillen, Ontario
Township of Enniskillen is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within Lambton County. It is located at the intersection of Highway 21 and Rokeby Line....
, is home to the Oil Museum of Canada.
The CKCO-3
CKCO-TV
CKCO-DT is a television station broadcasting on channel 13 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by Bell Media, it is a part of the CTV Television Network and has been branded CTV Southwestern Ontario since 2005.-History:...
Channel 42 Television Tower is located near Oil Springs. It's the fifth tallest guyed antenna in Canada at 994 feet (303 m).
History
Before the village was formed, the indigenous people already knew about the gum beds and used the sticky oil to waterproof their canoes. The place, originally called Black Creek, became the site of North America's first commercial oil well when asphalt producer James Miller WilliamsJames Miller Williams
James Miller Williams was a businessman and political figure in Ontario, Canada. He represented Hamilton in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 1879. He is also commonly viewed as the father of the petroleum industry in Canada.He was born in 1818 in Camden, New Jersey, and apprenticed...
set out to dig a water well in 1858 and found free oil instead.
Williams' discovery triggered North America's first oil rush and the village's name was changed to Oil Springs that same year. Within a few years, Oil Springs was a bustling town with four thousand residents and in its peak days boasted paved roads, horse-drawn buses and street lamps.
John Henry Fairbank
John Henry Fairbank
John Henry Fairbank was variously a surveyor, oilman, inventor, banker, politician and fire chief in Lambton County, Ontario.-Career:...
, a surveyor turned oil man who came to Oil Springs in 1861, bought some property and despite incurring debts and suffering family tragedies, Fairbank struck it rich, founding the successful Fairbank Oil Company that is now the oldest petroleum company in the world. He also invented the jerker line, a method used to pump oil to the surface from multiple wells using a shared steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
. Jerker lines are still used to pump oil in Oil Springs today.
On January 16, 1862, Hugh Nixon Shaw using a springboard to chip through rock, created Canada's first oil gusher
Blowout (well drilling)
A blowout is the uncontrolled release of crude oil and/or natural gas from an oil well or gas well after pressure control systems have failed....
(located on Gypsie Flats Road). It shot oil from over 60 metres (196.9 ft) below ground to above the treetops at a rate of 3000 barrels per day. A year later, a plank road
Plank road
A plank road or puncheon is a dirt path or road covered with a series of planks, similar to the wooden sidewalks one would see in a Western movie. Plank roads were very popular in Ontario, the U.S. Northeast and U.S. Midwest in the first half of the 19th century...
was built from Oil Springs to Wyoming rail station.
In 1865, the place separated from Enniskillen Township and was incorporated as a village. A year later, Bernard King struck oil at Petrolia
Petrolia, Ontario
Petrolia is a town in Ontario, Canada, near Sarnia. The town, an enclave within Enniskillen Township, is billed as "Canada's Victorian Oil Town" and is often credited with starting the Oil industry in North America....
, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north of Oil Springs. Petrolia quickly replaced Oil Springs as Canada's oil capital, leaving Oil Springs almost abandoned.
In 1881, more oil was discovered at a deeper level, resulting in another oil boom for Oil Springs. Two oil pipelines were built to Petrolia, and in 1886, a spur line of the Canada Southern Railway
Canada Southern Railway
The Canada Southern Railway was a railway in southern Ontario, Canada, founded on February 28, 1868 as the Erie and Niagara Extension Railway. It adopted the Canada Southern Railway name on December 24, 1869. In 1904 the railway was leased to the Michigan Central Railroad for 99 years; in 1929 it...
connected the village to Oil City (operating until 1960).
In 1914, Charles Fairbank, son of John Henry, found a gas gusher in Oil Springs that was deemed the biggest gusher in Canada.
In the 1930s, a fire destroyed all of the original oil rigs on the William's property and by 1974, the last receiving station of Imperial Oil
Imperial Oil
Imperial Oil Limited is Canada's largest petroleum company. The company is engaged in the exploration, production and sale of crude oil and natural gas. It is controlled by US based ExxonMobil, which owns 69.6% of its stock...
closed.
In 2008, the 150th anniversary of Williams' discovery, Canada Post
Canada Post stamp releases (2005-2009)
In the latter half of the decade, Canada Post continued to issue a large number of stamps with different designs and themes. One of the key changes in the decade was that Canada Post issued series of stamps on a yearly basis. An example is the 400th Anniversary of the French Settlement in North...
issued a stamp commemorating this first commercial oil well, featuring portraits of Charles Tripp and Williams.
Demographics
Population trend:- Population in 2006: 717
- Population in 2001: 758
- Population in 1996: 773
- Population in 1991: 690