Leduc No. 1 anniversary: 70 years since major crude oil discovery transformed Alberta

Seventy years ago today, a discovery southwest of Edmonton drastically changed the course of Alberta’s future and kickstarted one of the province’s biggest industries.

On a cold February day, a major crude oil discovery was made by Imperial Oil near what is now the town of Devon. In fact, the Leduc No. 1 drilling success was the main reason the community was built on the south banks of the North Saskatchewan River.

And it almost didn’t happen. There had been no major oil discoveries in the previous 25 years. After drilling 133 dry wells and wasting millions of dollars, Imperial Oil’s board was considering abandoning oil exploration, but was convinced by their chief geologist to drill “one more hole.”

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On Feb. 13, 1947, about 500 spectators, including local farmers, residents of Edmonton, journalists, executives, government officials and politicians, gathered and waited outside for most of the morning and afternoon, according to a government of Alberta historical account of the day.

Equipment froze, and one piece failed, causing a long delay. The rig supervisor recalled the events of the day.

“About two o’clock in the afternoon, we got everything all rigged up and ready to go again, then started swabbing, and of course there was nothing but mud coming at first and everybody was quite disappointed,” said Imperial Oil tool push Vern “Dry Hole” Hunter.

Eventually the mud gave way to gas, and then the oil came.

“Gas and oil and mud all mixed together. It threw a mushroom cloud just like an atomic bomb and then smoke rings. There were two or three very big smoke rings floating across the sky,” Hunter recalled.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Gas and oil and mud all mixed together. It threw a mushroom cloud just like an atomic bomb and then smoke rings. There were two or three very big smoke rings floating across the sky," Hunter recalled.

That discovery of “black gold” transformed Alberta’s economy by kickstarting the oil and gas industry, triggering mass migration to Alberta and billions of dollars in investment.

The Leduc No. 1 discovery found oil trapped in what became known as the Nisku Formation, and resulted in numerous major discoveries across the Prairies.

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From the start, Leduc No. 1 produced up to 1,000 barrels a day, according to the province. The oil rig west of Leduc produced 317,000 barrels of oil and 323 million cubic feet of natural gas before it was decommissioned in 1974.

The history and significance of the discovery is now showcased at the Leduc #1 Energy Discovery Centre, located just south of Devon on Highway 60, near Highway 19.

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A visit to the centre’s museum, which was designated a National Historic Site in 1990, will take you through the history and technology behind the discovery. The facility was closed for the past two months, but will re-open Monday for the 70th anniversary celebration.

Alberta Energy Minister Margaret McCuaig-Boyd made a presentation at the centre on Monday, recognizing the turning point in Alberta’s history.

“The communities and the people who are part of the oil and gas sector have made tremendous contributions to building our province,” McCuaig-Boyd said. “We’re proud to recognize this heritage as part of the anniversary of Leduc #1.”