The Founding of Petrolia
Text from the plaque
Following the discovery of oil at Oil Springs in 1857 prospectors extended their search to the entire township of Enniskillen. At the site of Petrolia, which contained two small settlements with post offices named Durance and Ennis, a well was brought into production in 1860. The following year a small refinery was opened and the Durance post office renamed "Petrolea". At first, eclipsed by Oil Springs, the community developed slowly. But in 1865-66 a series of discoveries culminating in the drilling of the King well established Petrolia as the major oil producing centre in Canada and its population soared from about 300 to some 2,300. Incorporated as the village of Petrolia in 1866, it became a town in January 1, 1874.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
Find the place
The County of Lambton
The Town of Petrolia
In a small park beside the town hall
on the west side of Greenfield Street
just south of Petrolia Line (Road 4)
Also recorded for this place: Petrolia
N 42 52.883 W 82 08.794
Recorded June 2005. Check current access before visiting.
More information
Visitors' notes
June 5, 2016
I lived there from June to November 1976. I am from Boston Mass. When I left I flew out of a small airport. It had grass runways. Tom Coz