OIL STRIKE CELEBRATED
Leduc well gushed in ’47
The province declared Monday to be Alberta Oil and Gas Celebration Day to mark the 70th anniversary of the well that kicked off the modern Alberta petroleum industry.
The Leduc No. 1 well that came in Feb. 13, 1947, proved the industry’s viability and was the first of many major fields in the Edmonton region, said Don Hunter, son of tool push Vern Hunter, who ushered in the discovery.
“I think proudly about that time … It was the best economic event ever to occur in Canada. It meant more to Canada even than the CPR,” he said following an event at the Leduc Energy Discover Centre south of Devon.
“We were living in a skid shack in Leduc. No running water. We thought the skid shack was nice after all the places we lived in Saskatchewan.”
Hunter, who volunteers at the centre following a 45-year career in the oilpatch, said Imperial Oil knew Leduc No. 1 was going to be important after years of hitting dry wells and had arranged for media and the public to watch it completed.
But at 4 a.m., his father was called in to deal with an equipment problem. Instead of the expected 10 a.m. completion, it didn’t happen until 4 p.m.
“It was a fairly chilly day, so all the people had to stand around. He came home and went to bed. They had a big party at the Macdonald Hotel that night. He didn’t even go.”
Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd said it’s important to recognize the value of the oil and gas industry.
“It was the beginning of a huge boom in Alberta, and it brought Alberta all these good jobs and a world-class industry,” she said, adding that with the number of drilling rigs up 50 per cent from this time last year, the current downturn seems to be turning around.
“We have been down before and always managed to get better. I’m sure we’re going to do that this time, too.”