Story of the Tar Sands - Assenpiskew (Page 3)

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Other Activities

In 1905 the Barber Asphalt of Pittsburgh tried to extract oil but failed in its experimenting activities (this paving company later went worldwide under the trade name, Barber-Greene).

The Northern Alberta Exploration Company drilled between 1907 and 1912, discovering a rock salt deposit. By 1924 the Alberta Salt Company had been formed and produced 3,000 tons of salt over a two-year period.

The Athabasca Oil & Asphalt, the Fort McKay Oil & Asphalt, Alcan Oil Corporation, and the Northland Oil Syndicate, drilled a number of wells but no results are known.

Imperial Oil finally got around to drilling two test holes in 1917, 72 miles south of Fort McMurray having found no oil.

A.F.A. Coyne heard about the Great Northern Oi1 & Asphalt Co. and became interested in its activities. He visited the area and was said to have been convinced the 'mother lode' would be found near these outcrops. The Anglo-Dominion Development Company moved in and took over Coyne's 240 000 acres of leases. An engineer's report stated, "We cannot advocate any further expenditure in this area". Coyne was unsuccessful in other aspects even though he wanted to help Aberhart in 1936. The Premier turned him down and that was the end of his activities in Alberta.

It would be Dr. T.O. Bosworth, an English consultant, who later was retained by Imperial. He estimated 30,000 tons of oil per acre could be extracted. Bosworth thought that this oil in the tar sands was unique, differing from conventional crude....."We have here some new thing and this peculiar substance has not undergone any such great evaporation which has accumulated in it, thickened only to a slight extent by evaporation". Assuming 15,000 square miles, average thickness 50 feet, average yield will be 10 gallons per ton. This equates to 30 billion barrels of oil (600 times the world's annual production).

Dr. Allan, in 1920, estimated at least 190 cubic miles of bituminous sands. The Conservation Board in 1967 estimated between 500 and 700 billion barrels of oil in place.

In July 1920, the Feds by Order-in-council No. 1495 withdrew the leases from sale and only allowed attempts to extract or recover oil on small parcels, with the approval of the Minister. The first of these was issued almost immediately to General William B. Lindsay but his project never got off the drafting board. Mr. Dutcher built a plant in 1920 and tried to extract bitumen by retorting but this failed. Mr. Diver of Calgary wanted to use underground electrical heat. This proved costly and impractical.

In 1926 when the Feds still controlled all of Alberta's minerals, they set aside four parcels (each one-half section) for use in extracting mud to use as paving material. John Harvie (no connection to Eric), former Federal civil servant from Ontario (a hard rock man) transferred to Edmonton with his minerals, said "three sections is enough to lease out oil and gas." C.C. Ross in 1937 increased lease sizes. Tanner (through Hubert Somerville) in 1941 increased reservations to 200,000 acres in an effort to help WWII. But there was no incentive - no "Leduc" yet.

Feds (Hume) had spent $100,000 drilling on the Horse River deposits (weren't nearly as good as what Suncor's would be).

Tom Draper who preceded Max Ball had acquired a lease in 1922 from the Feds after informing Ottawa he had a process for extracting asphalt from sand. His company was McMurray Asphaltum and Oil Sand, Petrolia, Ontario. Draper is reported to have had two plants near McMurray and one at Edmonton. It was rumoured he had US banking. 200,000 tons per acre for paving use, two plants at the prospect, one plant at Edmonton. Draper's plant burned down in 1924. 1935 Agreement assigned to Abasand.

The first knowledge Edmonton had of Abasand's activities was an application to build a road over provincial lands so they could gain access - August 1936.