The Well That Sparked Alberta's Oil Boom | Our Heritage Park Visit


Our family visited Heritage Park and stepped back in time to discover the story that shaped Alberta. 

 
It all began in 1911, when an amateur geologist named William Stewart Herron noticed something remarkable: oil seeping through the ground in the foothills south of Calgary. Little did he know, that small discovery would launch Alberta’s entire oil industry. Herron brought in Archibald Wayne Dingman to oversee the work, and together they founded Calgary Petroleum Products. On May 14, 1914, their No. 1 Well, now known affectionately as the Dingman Well, struck oil at 2,700 feet. 


What made it extraordinary? The gasoline was so pure it could power a car without any refining. That gusher sparked excitement across the region and started Alberta’s very first oil boom.
 

At Heritage Park, we saw the replica of the Dingman cable-tool rig. A story of preservation in itself. The first accurate replica was built in 1965, using hardware salvaged from an abandoned oil derrick in British Columbia’s Flathead Valley. Those same iron components were recycled once more into the second replica, completed in 2019, the one we saw standing tall today. 
 
We learned how these traditional cable-tool rigs worked, simpler than modern ones, repeatedly dropping a heavy iron tool to break through rock. The first replica even drilled 113 feet before hitting water! Now the second one stands ready, not to drill, but to teach, helping visitors like us understand the ingenuity, courage, and vision that built this part of the world. 


History isn’t just about the past. It’s about seeing what people can build when they have a vision and the courage to pursue it. And the best part? Learning it all together as a family. 

✍️ Family Journal Entry 
Heritage Park, Calgary AB Canada, 5 October 2024 

https://heritagepark.ca/exhibits/dingman-no-1-discovery-well/

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