The first commercial oil well in North America was drilled in Oil Springs, Ontario in 1858. Carriage maker James Williams set out during a drought to dig a water well but struck free oil instead.  The timing of this discovery could not have been better. Its commercial potential was enormous, and Williams realized it. As news of his discovery spread, prospectors from both Canada and the United States flooded into Oil Springs and an oil boom was under way.

Early Pipeliners

The boom in oil production in the Great Lakes region gave the oil industry its enduring standard of measure—the barrel, 42 gallons—just the right quantity for easy, horse-drawn transport.

By 1861, approximately 400 wells were producing oil in the area. Oil Springs benefited from this new-found wealth. People became rich from oil, and this provided Oil Springs with the first paved street in Canada. The village’s main street was also lit at night by oil lamps. In the early 1860s, so much oil was being produced that 20 refineries built in the area could not handle the volume. Nearby a new line of the Great Western Railway was completed, providing a means to transport this commodity. Crude oil was being shipped to other cities in Canada and the United States, and even as far away as Great Britain.