Heritage Community Foundation Presents
Alberta Online Encyclopedia
SitemapSearchHelpContactPartnersEdukitsHome
Resource Inventory
History of Development
Innovation and New Technology Visit Alberta Source! Heritage Community Foundation
Heritage Trails presented courtesy of CKUA Radio Network Canada's Digital Collections

Home > History of Development > Technology Through Time > Oil Sands > The Beginning

Technology Through Time

The Beginning

Bituminous Sand Deposit under Muskeg, McKay River, 1924.As practically all glass manufactured in Canada at the present time utilizes imported sand, there are possibilities for utilizing all this sand in the glass industry.

The commercial possibilities for the utilization of all products in the bituminous sands are very great, but much investigation work must be carried our on the method of extracting the bitumen from the sand in the file or in the laboratory, before the commercial value of the formation can be determined.

Already it had been proven that with certain treatment the sand is suitable for paving purposes. In 1915, a piece of pavement was laid down in Edmonton on Kinnaird Street, immediately south of Alberta Avenue. This experiment was conducted under the supervision of S.C. Ells of the Mines Branch, Ottawa. This pavement had been subjected to heavy traffic, but was still in excellent condition in November, 1919.

Alberta Research Council. [1920] Annual Report. With permission from the Alberta Research Council.

BackNext

 

     

Heritage Trails

Early Oilsands Exploration

Sidney Ells organizes an experiment, to use the oilsands as a paving material...

Listen or Read

Download the free RealPlayer

To Listen to the Heritage Trails, you need Real Player available free from Real Networks.


Technology Through TimeHeroes of Resource DevelopmentPlaces to GoEarly Industry: Case StudiesLeduc: Cause and Effects


Albertasource.ca | Contact Us | Partnerships
            For more on natural resources in Alberta, visit Peel’s Prairie Provinces.
Copyright © Heritage Community Foundation All Rights Reserved