Petrolia, Ontario
| Petrolia | |
|---|---|
| Town (lower-tier) | |
| Town of Petrolia | |
 |
|
| Nickname(s): Canada's Victorian Oil Town | |
 Petrolia
|
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| Coordinates: 42°53′N 82°08.5′W / 42.883°N 82.1417°WCoordinates: 42°53′N 82°08.5′W / 42.883°N 82.1417°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Province |
 Ontario
|
| County | Lambton |
| Settled | 1866 |
| Incorporated | 25 December 1866 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | John McCharles |
| • Federal riding | Sarnia—Lambton |
| • Prov. riding | Sarnia—Lambton |
| Area | |
| • Land | 12.68 km2 (4.90 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 5,528 |
| • Density | 435.8/km2 (1,129/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal code | N0N 1R0 |
| Area code(s) | 519 and 226 |
| Website | town.petrolia.on.ca |
Petrolia is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is part of Lambton County and is surrounded by Enniskillen Township. It is billed as "Canada's Victorian Oil Town" and is often credited with starting the oil industry in North America.
Lambton Central Collegiate & Vocational Institute (LCCVI) is the only high school located in Petrolia.
In 1857 James Miller Williams of Hamilton began distilling some of the "tar" lying around Oil Springs (located a few kilometers south from Petrolia), after buying the property rights from Charles Nelson Tripp. In July or August 1858 he struck an oil deposit in Oil Springs while digging a shallow well, sparking the oil drilling industry. In 2008, the 150th anniversary of the discovery, Canada Post issued a stamp commemorating this first commercial oil well, featuring portraits of Charles Tripp and Williams. However, these early wells resulted in a large amount of wastage from gushers, estimated at 5 million barrels (790,000 m3) of oil in 1862 alone.
Petrolia got its start in 1866 when a major oil well was found, resulting in an oil boom that caused many to abandon Oil Springs in favour of this new settlement. The place separated from Enniskillen Township and was incorporated as a town on 25 December of that same year.
Oil production went through several boom periods in Petrolia, one was in 1898 and another in 1938. Some wells sunk in 1938 were initially producing 100 barrels per day (16 m3/d) at a price of $2 per barrel. This output, however, often lasted only a few weeks, falling to less than a barrel a day.
Oil men from Petrolia travelled to the far reaches of the world (Gobi Desert, Arctic, Iran, Indonesia, United States, Australia, Russia, and over 80 other countries) teaching others how to find and extract crude oil. Those born and raised in Petrolia are referred to as "Hard Oilers", paying tribute to the toughness of their ancestors. Petrolia is also home to the Petrolia Discovery museum. Some oil fields in the area are still operational to this day.
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Wikipedia