February 13, 1947, was an historic day for Alberta. It was on this day that
Alberta struck oil. The effects from that one oil strike would bring people from
all over Canada to work on Leduc #1 and change the economic, political and
social climate of Alberta.
Before the Leduc discovery, oil and gas development was not the major
industry it is today. In fact, Alberta was a province focused more on
agriculture than anything else. Some oil had been found at
Turner Valley, but nothing big enough to initiate an oil boom in the
province like the discovery at Leduc would in 1947.
Imperial Oil had
been drilling dry wells around Alberta and Saskatchewan
for 27 consecutive years before they struck at
Leduc. By the end of 1947, Imperial Oil and a group of
small companies had drilled 147 more wells in the Leduc-Woodbend
oilfield. Surprisingly, only 11 were dry.
Leduc No. 1
stopped producing in 1974 after the production of some
317,000 barrels of oil and 9 million cubic metres of
natural gas.
Leduc had a tremendous influence on Alberta, and the spin-off effects of the
Leduc oil strike can still be seen today. Oil exploration and development
continues to be a major industry in Alberta and has created thousands of jobs
across the province.
In this episode of the CKUA Radio Network's Heritage
Trails radio series, you can learn about the significance of the
1947 Leduc Oil Strike to the Alberta economy. The Leduc #1 oil rig
brought the Alberta Treasury $0.15 a barrel. Petroleum revenues made Alberta debt free by 1948! [Listen]