Turner Valley Gas Plant National and Provincial Historic Site ...

Theme Subtheme Message Interpretation Ideas Sources Media Audience Constraints Partners Comments

Theme Subtheme Message Interpretation Ideas Sources Media Audience Constraints Partners Comments 1

TURNER VALLEY GAS PLANT NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL HISTORIC SITE INTERPRETIVE PROGRAM MATRIX

David Finch – Historian – January 2010 Abstract of Thesis:

The Turner Valley Gas Plant story shows how petroleum development profoundly changed Alberta. Many aspects of Alberta society – work, politics, economics and social life – were transformed when drillers found commercial quantities of oil at Turner Valley in 1914, 1924 and again in 1936. The Turner Valley Gas Plant Historic Site is the earliest gas plant in western Canada and the only surviving example of this technology in Canada. It is the best place to interpret the history of petroleum development in western Canada to 1947 and to show how those themes continue to affect our society today and will be central to our society in the future.

Table of Contents 1. Geology – page 1 2. Exploration – 4 3. Entrepreneurs – 6 4. Technology – 8 5. Structural history – 13 6. Transportation – 19 7. Government and Conservation – 21 8. Social history – 23 100 Things to DO at the TVGPHS – 26 9. Reclamation – 28 10. Site development - 31

1. GEOLOGY

Theme Subtheme Message Interpretation Ideas Sources Media Audience Constraints Partners Comments 1. Geological Formations of the Turner Valley Oilfield G E O L O G Y

1.a Origin of petroleum

Thesis: Oil was made when decomposing organic matter – plants and animals, were covered with layers of soil and rock under pressure. When released from the Earth, petroleum becomes an economic benefit to society.

- Squished compost creates a smelly gas – a first stage of oil development - The rock cliff across from the plant shows geological formations - Visitors “make” oil by layering soil and organic material in a tube, then compressing and “oil” comes out

Scientists who work with these ideas and create geology texts and courses for univ. programs

Next draft of matrix will have links to images and collect-ions

PA-2166-116

Dry material needs interactive, hands-on displays to help explain concepts and create a lasting impression

- Geological Survey of Canada - AB Geol Survey - University of Calgary dept. of geology and geophysics - Company exploration departments - Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists

U of Calgary employs a geology teacher – Dr. Leslie Reid – to use innovative methods of communicating geoscience principles to undergraduates – she want to work with us, visit our site….



1. G E O L O G Y

1.b Petroleum exists in many forms

By definition oil can be a solid, liquid or a gas and is a by-product of natural decomposition which results in the chemical carbon and hydrogen

BOIL ICE! - Cold oil is stiff, even rock hard – like ice - Room temperature, oil is a liquid like water - Heated up, it is a gas like steam off a kettle

“Is that oil I smell?” Screen

capture for video that “recreates” scene of

cowboy “finding” natural gas seepage

1. G E O L O G Y continued

1.c Oilfields and pools exist worldwide

Petroleum migrates to the surface and escapes unless trapped – usually by solid rock (or sand like at Fort McMurray)

Catch “oil and gas” from boiling water: - snag steam in a bottle - Oil dissipates unless trapped - Traps include rock formations


1.d Formations at Turner Valley

Complicated, unusual and anomalous, geological attempts to understand this oilfield were of little use, but helped create a Canadian petroleum geoscience community - see comments column at far right>>>>>>

“Make mountains” like the Rockies - Rubber mat display could be pushed to show bulging mountains, how traps are made- Liquids below are trapped in oilfields - Screened parts of mat could show “oil” being trapped

P3253

The Alberta Society of Petroleum Geologists started in Turner Valley in 1927 and grew to become the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, always based in Calgary

“Turner Valley is structurally probably the most complicated oil field in North America. It is a highly folded and faulted compound anticlinal overthrust sheet bordering the outer Foothills Belt of Alberta. It involves Paleozoic limestones, dolomites, and shales, Jurassic shale, and Cretaceous rocks.” Theodore A. Link (2), P. D. Moore in the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin Volume 18 (1934)




1.e Discovery of oil i. World ii. Canada iii. Alberta iv. Turner Valley v. Leduc and other fields in the West

Petroleum has been known since antiquity Ancient discoveries worldwide 1719 Cree Indian shows HBC explorer Kelsey tar sands 1883 Gas at Medicine Hat fuelled the city and pottery industry 1902 Cameron Creek well produces Alberta’s first oil 1914, May 14 Wet gas find created first commercial Western Canadian oilfield 1947, Feb 13 Reefal deposits proved other traps in Alberta >>>>>

Video clips: - Oil seeps used as medicine or to pitch canoes - Natives showed explorers sticky oil but no one saw much use for it – like mud today, or dried weeds… - Gas sometimes found when drilling for water - “All Hell for a Basement” was Kipling’s impression of Medicine Hat - Natives showed gas seeps to Kootenay Brown at Waterton - Cowboys noted gas seep on Sheep Creek – Herron did too – and Calgary Pet. Prod. began drilling in 1913 Activity: Light a flare onsite as a daily “event” then put it out!

Bulletin of CSPG Sept 1966, plate 5.

Turner Valley map 1928 for

Imperial Oil by Schlumberger

Leduc/Devon Oilfield Historical Society and its Petroleum Discovery Centre

Grizzlies apparently still roll in the crude oil seeps at Waterton – how do we get film footage? “The geology of Turner Valley is highly complicated. The conditions are in no way comparable with those encountered in other petroleum regions of North America…” SLB 1928 in Gow p. 35. Connecting the story of the geology in this area to later finds helps link Turner Valley to the past and the future…



2. EXPLORATION 2. E X P L O R A T I O N

2.a Seeps and surface geological clues 2.b Cutting samples and core drilling 2.c Surface surveys/ downhole electrical logging 2.d Seismic/ geophysic exploration in late 1920s and into 1930s

Thesis: Oil is where you find it - but this oilfield defied logic Serendipity first found oil at Turner Valley – gas bubbling up along Sheep Creek Drilling was the only reliable geological tool in this oilfield – it found oil! 1928 surface electrical survey by Schlumberger for Imperial Oil at TV was first such quest for oil in Canada 1928 Schluter did seismic for Imperial Imperial put its best geologists to work to understand this field, but never found another like it

-Gas bubbling up at Dingman discovery site through water -Cliff across river shows deposits -Strain muddy slurry for cuttings -Rock hammer for splitting “oil” rocks -Model of field with 3D side view of wells and formations – Royalite had such an exhibit -Seismic sensors to detect stomping on floor with foot -Downhole tools can be exhibited and animated and their logs printed out on “seismic” paper for kids to take home

PA-2166-130

-Geological Survey of Canada -Imperial Oil -ConocoPhillips

Seismic shooting NA-3833-2



E X P L O R A T I O N continued

2.e Drilling for oil below gas tried in 1936 2.f Wartime Oils – a 1943 federtal govern. Program, gave loans for wildcat drilling at margins of Turner Valley field 2.g This field was not understood until later. Most of the gas was flared, and most of the oil remains in ground, due to loss of pressure

WWII demand for oil prompted Ottawa to remove production quotas and pay the expenses of a wildcat drilling program to extend the boundaries of the oilfield, produce flat out, and provide as much oil as possible during war But the push to develop the field was not in the best interest of long-term development So, Turner Valley is anomalous. Its unusual story shows that the search for oil is part genius, part science, part serendipity….

-Log interpretation computer game to show how density indicates possible traps and liquids -Oil exploration game was created by the Can Soc of Petrol Geologists – use it here? -U of C uses 3D glasses and program to “show” geoscience students the underground -Models that move can snow mountain building forces – they can react to actions of the visitor to show in real time the activity that took millions of years to form the Rockies -Show up to date techniques used to look for oil today…

60% of Turner Valley wells found oil!

“Nitro Charlie” shooting a Turner Valley well with

nitro-glycerine he brought up from Montana, one time

in an airplane… PA-3682-45



3. ENTREPRENEURS 3. E N T R E P R E N E U R S Early locals, national and indepen-dents

3.a Calgarians formed CPP during pre-WWI boom 3.b 1920+ Imperial formed Royalite Oil, Madison Natural Gas, Valley Pipeline

Thesis: Resourceful oilmen, investors and companies were key to finding the Turner Valley oilfield, developing it and sustaining interest in oil in the West Independents made 2 of the 3 major finds in this oilfield and by 1939 were producing 75% of the oil in the Turner Valley field Imperial’s role in Turner Valley (1921-1950) was as a national branch of a multi-national company with a big marketing and distribution system, exploration skill, and deep pockets. It built the gas plant, pipelines and the Calgary refinery. Same for BA/Gulf

The notes that follow are informational only - interpretive ideas to follow with next draft of matrix. - Lougheed, Bennett and others helped Herron start Calgary Pet. Products (CPP) – and made 1914 find (see comments) - CPP takeover by Imperial Oil in 1920 led to outsider investment (see comments>>>>>) TVGP owners and operators until closing in 1985: 1948 Dom. Securities 1949 Bronfmans 1962 British American (became Gulf Canada) 1977 Western Decalta

ND-3-4144a

ConocoPhillips has CPP #1 and #2 drilling records Majors are represented by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) Small Explorers and Producers Association of Canada (SEPAC) represents less large outfits ATCO is successor to the gas company that purchased TVGP natural gas from 1920s to 1985 TransCanada Pipeline - a national company

1914 production was only 100 barrels/day of gasoline from the Discovery Well (Herald 25 Aug 1939) In 1939 Imperial Oil’s subsidiary Royalite produced JUST 26% of TV crude oil (Herald 25 Aug 1939)



E N T R E P R E N E U R S continued

3.c 1920+ Numerous small and independent operators continued developing the field 3.d 1936 crude oil discovery by local company 3.e late 1930s-40s ongoing development of Turner Valley field while looking for oil in the prairies – and finding Leduc in 1947

Independents played a crucial role in the TV field – making 2 of 3 discoveries (or 4 of 5 – if we count Home Oil’s 1929 and 1942 finds), and they continue the western tradition of playing in the “big boys” game today as members of the Small Explorers and Producers Association of Canada (SEPAC) Entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in oil discovery, production and distribution and their stories are important to the understanding of this site and the current oil patch

-Bill Herron’s Okalta -Southern AB Oil Co., -Western Propane -Home Oil -dozens of other small operations -Can. West. Nat. Gas – today’s ATCO Can Pet Industry Hall of Fame examples could be displayed at the TVGP or information could encourage visitors to visit the Devon/Leduc site where more information is provided and a roomful of plaques that honour these individuals

P1306

In 1939 74% of Turner Valley oil produced by small independents(44%) Anglo-Can(19%) and Brown(13)% (Herald 25 Aug 1939)



4. TECHNOLOGY 4. T E C H N O L O G Y Drilling

4.a. Drilling in the field -1912 cable tools

P1303 -1925 rotary arrives in Turner Valley field

Thesis: Technology developed in this field helped deal with complicated geological structures, high pressure sour gas, conservation issues and unitization of the field to maximize production Drilling - Cable tool, diamond, rotary and combination drilling rigs were all challenged by the complex and tilted rock layers and had to be adapted to local conditions Canadians created solutions to complex problems and became skilled drillers who went around the world solving demanding oilfield issues – this continues today…

Cable tool – variations -Lift and drop bit exhibit -Fishing tools to get “bit” unstuck -Sift cuttings from “mud” Rotary – 1925+ -hand-powered bit cutting into rock -pumping “mud” with foot pump -breaking through to “discover” a pool of “oil” and then experience a blowout of pressure (water…)

Dingman #2 tools 1914

“The spouting oil…” “…fell upon the just and the unjust alike…

“…one of the most remarkable wells in the world…” “…its output is pure gasoline…

See page 11 for driller Joe Brown’s analysis of the of Dingman #1 well



ND-8-436 T E C H N O L O G Y Continued Gas processing and liquid recovery

4.b. Processing natural gas (TVGP) 1914-1920 1921-1924 1925-1936 1937-1947 1948-1952 1952-1985 4.c. Liquids and crude oil from the field were recovered and refined at facilities in Calgary

Gas processing evolved from taking off liquids, to H2S scrubbing, to “high ends” for wartime aviation fuel The TVGP is defined by systems and products 1914 – gasoline or naphtha taken off and “waste” gas was just flared>>>> 1921 – natural gas moved by pipeline to Calgary 1925 – scrubbed gas piped to Calgary, liquids to Imperial refinery in Calgary by pipeline 1936 – crude oil from the south end of the oilfield began supplying southern AB oil needs

Visitors could manually operate the first compressor – used in 1914 and pictured to the right Display could animate the removal of liquids from wet “gas” by compression Applying pressure with hand pump to “natural gas” could ignite a flare outside the building Opening a valve could start a video showing “crude oil” soaking a rig with oily liquids “Investing” a quarter could start a video of the gusher at Royalties in 1936, get a paper royalty and cash it in for 50 cents

CPP 1914 compressor stored at city of Calgary

NA-711-39 1925 first scrubbing plant

1914 – First compressor took off the first liquids: “The process of distillation is simple. The gas is taken directly from the well into a compressor, at atmospheric temperature. It is compressed through a two-stage compressor, to a final pressure of 150 pounds to the square inch, and is then forced through the cooling coils. The condensing coils are run in water, constantly circulating. The gas escaped automatically, or is conducted off in pipes for use as fuel, and the gasoline passes into the retaining tanks.” L.C. McFarland of Bessemer company in Calgary Albertan 14 May 1914 Next page is a newspaper article interview with the driller at Dingman No. 1 discovery well Comment from earlier draft of matrix: “Site tour focuses on processing theme. Education programs offer more depth on drilling Most of the buildings on the site date from expansion in the 1930s. Technological firsts for western Canada at the plant: first high pressure lean oil absorption plant; first propane plant; first and largest scrubbing plant; first Girbotol scrubbing plant; second sulphur plant; largest compressor building; first 3 Cooper-Bessemer GMV-6 compressors in commercial use; first Horton Spheres.” See Mindnode 5 on page 12 for ways this theme overlaps with other themes – no theme is independent of the others in this matrix or in the TVGPHS story…



T E C H N O L O G Y Continued Gas processing and liquid recovery

4.c. Oil refining theme continues from previous page…

1939 – war need for aviation fuel prompted building Horton Spheres, and flat out production of oil and gas from the oilfield in spite of long-term production consequences – most of oil in field cannot be produced 1942 – peak production of Turner Valley oil at 10 million bbls/yr effectively ended possibility of sustainable development 1948 – Propane taken off gas 1952 – Sulphur production began

Ideas that need interpretive applications: -“aviation fuel” powers model airplanes -“propane” torch used for welding -“sulphur” mixed into rubber to make tires “Crude oil” refining display via computer game or display

1960 sulphur plant and walking bridge



5. STRUCTURE/BUILDING HISTORY 5. S T R U C T U R E and B U I L D I N G H I S T O R Y

5.a 1914-1920 Naphtha Era and Calgary Petrolem Products Period

Thesis: Buildings and their purposes explain the episodic development of the gas plant and the Turner Valley field 1914 - First Canadian compressor in Compressor Plant 1.14 took liquids off wet gas 1919 - Absorption Plant 1.19 was the first in Canada, second in world. Patent held by Hope Natural Gas - Standard Oil of New Jersey subsidiary Standard installed a plant in the United States in 1913 1920 - October 20 - Calgary Petroleum Products Absorption Plant 1.19 burned to ground No buildings remain from this era.

No buildings or other features exist on the site that relate to this period in the history of the TVGP. However, both Calgary Petroleum Products No. 1 and No. 2 well remain on the site (renamed Royalite No. 1 and No. 2). The gas percolating up through the soil near the discovery well attests to the earliest petroleum development on the site.

TVGP 1914-1920 from Turner Valley Gas Plant Site and Building History, 1998 NB – Number system used to identify buildings is a combination of which version of the building and the date it was built; ie: Compressor Plant 1.14 was the first compressor plant on the site and it was built in 1914.



S T R U C T U R E And B U I L D I N G H I S T O R Y con t i nued

5.b 1921-1923 Early Royalite Era Gas Processingand Compres-sing and Pipelining

After the October 20, 1920 fire consumed the Calgary Petroleum Products Absorption Plant 1.19, Imperial Oil bought most of the independent oil company’s assets in 1921 and formed a subsidiary called Royalite No buildings remain from this era.

Information: 1921 -January, 18, 1921. Royalite Oil Company Limited formed as Imperial Oil subsidiary -Royalite installed Absorption Plant 2.21 on site (Light Plant 1.27 building) remained in use until 1927 -Royalite installed Compression Plant 2.21 on site. First compressors were six 80 horsepower Clark Gas engines December 31. -Turner Valley gas began flowing through 6 and 8-inch pipeline to Okotoks where it joined Bow Island to Calgary Can Western Natural Gas Company gas pipeline

TVGP 1921-1923 from Turner Valley Gas Plant Site and Building History, 1998



S T R U C T U R E and B U I L D I N G H I S T O R Y con t i nued

5.c 1924-1932 Sour Gas Processing Era

Royalite No. 4 discovery of sour gas, laden with deadly hydrogen sulphide forced Royalite to construct a natural gas scrubbing plant. The first of two plants, Scrubbing Plant 1.25, used a soda ash solution (Koppers Process) to remove the hydrogen sulphide which Royalite then vented to atmosphere. Light Plant 1.27 and Fire Hall 1.27 are the only extant buildings from this era

1924 - Sour gas at Royalite No. 4 required processing 1925 - Royalite built Scrubbing Plant 1.25 in the summer -soda ash solution scrubbed gas, heat released H2S -123 foot tall towers released H2S to air until 1952 -10 inch gas line laid from plant to Okotoks in 1927 -Scrubbing Plant 1.25 capacity doubled -Absorption Plant 2.21 closed 1927, replaced 1933 1928 - 14-inch line from plant to DeWinton 1929 - Home Oil’s found N end of field -entire machine shop imported from Casper, Wyoming

TVGP 1924-1932 from Turner Valley Gas Plant Site and Building History, 1998




5.d 1930-1938 Gasoline Plant Era

By the mid-1930s the Turner Valley Gas Plant needed substantial upgrading of both its scrubbing and absorption systems. Field pressure had been sufficient after 1924 to allow Smith separators to extract gasoline from the wet gas but the pressure dropped due to uncontrolled flaring of the gas as producers processed gasoline.

1930 Repressurizing of Bow Island field began with TV gas 1933 - first Canadian lean-oil absorption process installed in Absorption Plant 3.33 (Gasoline Plant 1.33) 1935 expansions - steel bubble cap trays replaced redwood slats - four new absorbers installed in Scrubbing Plant 2.35 1937-1938 - Royalite added more pipelines - plant capacity increased to 65 million cubic feet day

TVGP 1933-1937 from Turner Valley Gas Plant Site and Building History, 1998 Most of the structures related to this era of the development of the Turner Valley Gas Plant exist on the site. Compression Plant 3.38, Absorption Plant 3.33, Gasoline Plant 3.33 and Scrubbing Plant 2.35 all remain from this period, though altered or expanded in later periods.




5.e 1939-1945 World War II Era

World War II created the next major technological change at the TVGP as demand increased for aviation fuel for the training program for Commonwealth pilots. Royalite and other absorption plant operators in Turner Valley added new equipment to their gasoline plants to recover iso-butane, a gaseous high-end or light product, used for mixing with other petroleum products to make high-octane aviation fuel. The TVGP and its new Horton spheres, installed in 1942, served as the collection point for iso-butanes from the field’s gas plants before being moved to the Calgary refinery.

1939 - Locals forced to buy scrubbed gas 1941 - Girbotol scrubber in Scrubbing Plant 2.35 with MEA technology added, two more in 1951 - TV gas piped to Allied War Supplies Corporation - first plant in world to make ammonia from natural gas for explosives 1942 - Horton spheres built to store iso-butanes - butane splitters installed to strip this product from the natural gas - TV production peaked at nearly 10 million bbls/year 1942-3 - Second distillation unit installed in Gasoline Plant 2.42

TVGP 1939-1945 from Turner Valley Gas Plant Site and Building History, 1998 All the equipment installed during this period remains on the site. The most visible additions during the World War II period were the Horton spheres, prominent features at the west end of the plant and the first Girbotol scrubbing unit. These features provide an important link to the stor of World War II and the res lting de elopment at the T rner Valle




5.f 1946-1980s Propane and Sulphur Plants Era 5.g 1985 Decommis-sioning

In 1948 Royalite began sending waste gas from its Gasoline Plant to the nearby Western Propane Plant - upstream and south across Sheep Creek. The company bought Propane Plant 1.52 in 1952 and moved it onto the Turner Valley Gas Plant site and added it to the north end of the Gasoline Plant 1.33. The final technological addition to the Turner Valley Gas Plant occurred in 1952 when Royalite installed Sulphur Plant 1.52 to process hydrogen sulphide from the Scrubbing Plant 2.35 into elemental sulphur. See Reclamation theme for more details.

1951 - Preparations for Propane Plant 1952 - Propane Plant 1.52 bought from 1948 facility, first in Canada, producing up to thirty tons/day 1953 - Machine shop, garage, and transportation equipment sold off 1963 - Boiler House 3.63 built 1975 - Fractionation Plant 1.75 installed Late 1970s - new Water Pump House and Joy Inlet Compressor installed

story of World War II and the resulting development at the Turner Valley Gas Plant.

TVGP 1946-1980s from Turner Valley Gas Plant Site and Building History, 1998 All equipment and buildings from this period remain on the site. See Turner Valley Gas Plant Site and Building History, 1998 for much



more detailed review of each building, process, images and explanation of the evolution of the site and additional sources.

6. TRANSPORTATION 6. T R A N S P O R T A T I O N

6.a 1914 gasoline for local markets and by truck to Okotoks 6.b 1921 nat. gas pipeline connection to Bow Island CWNG line at Okotoks 6.c 1925 first of several liquids pipelines built to Imperial Oil refinery in

Thesis: Markets make oil and gas valuable Gasoline was only product for which there was a market so most of the natural gas was flared for decades Pipeline to consumers - TVGP gas tied into CWNG line to Calgary for decades. Pipelining story includes many technological advances A petroleum liquids pipeline took Turner Valley field product to Imperial refinery in Calgary and acted as common carrier after forced to do so by the Public Utility Board Butane, pentanes and propane all taken off gas at TVGP and

- Sell gasoline at plant site to visitors (or coupons for gasoline) - “I’m Driving on Hell’s Half Acre Gas” bumper sticker - “Metal men” at work on pipeline near fence – see page 14… - Flare from a pipeline with visitor ignition - Hand crank exhibit to push liquid through a display – then back again to starting point

Imperial Oil – Esso service stations ATCO/Enmax TransCanada Pipelines Trucking firms for propane Engineering companies that help design pipeline systems

Trucks filling up barrels of gasoline

at TVGP in 1932 GA IP-6e



T R A N S P O R T A T I O N continued

refinery in Calgary 6.d 1930 nat. gas pushed to Bow Island field in summer for storage and then use in winter 6.e 1937 first crude oil pipeline built to move heavier product to Calgary refineries 6.f WWII gas “high ends” trucked to Calgary refinery

gas at TVGP and trucked to market Turner Valley’s proximity to Calgary and southern Alberta markets made it economically viable – as compared to Waterton (found in 1902 but was never commercial) and Norman Wells (took from 1920 to 1985 to develop enough production to justify an oil pipeline) Turner Valley field production almost justified building a pipeline east in the late 1930s – then war took the oil. “High ends” are products used to increase the octane of gasoline – needed in WWII airplane engines

- Refinery display using water/steam to show process and products as they rise off liquids. Coloured “oil” boils to produce steam that cools to form clear liquid - Butane lighter as example of commonly use for high ends

P1973 Pipeline construction - Turner Valley to Calgary circa 1930s



High River Times April 2, 1931

This newpaper ad explains the benefit of pushing Turner Valley gas down the pipeline to Bow Island for storage during the summer and then piping it to Calgary during cold winter months



7. GOVERNMENT REGULATION AND CONSERVATION 7. G O V E R N M E N T Regulation and Conservation

7a. 1905 Gov. control over natural resources 7b. 1915 Control over utilities 7c. 1920s Waste of gas issue at Turner Valley 7d. 1931,1941 Royalty income issue

Thesis: Unregulated oil development did not work in the public interest so AB governments created rules and agencies to control the dev. process -Without control over its natural resources, Alberta was helpless to direct the dev. process pre-1930 -Nat. gas waste was the first issue and not really controlled until 1938

Notes here are informational – interpretive ideas to come in the next draft of the matrix… -1915 - Alberta formed Board of Public Utility Commissioners -1921 - Greenfield and UFA lobby for natural resources -1930 - AB gets control over natural resources -1931 Alberta Oil and Gas Wells Act, Alberta's first royalty regulation applied -1932 - Turner Valley Gas Conservation Act

NA-4062-6

Government PUB ERCB Energy dept NEB Societies have helped regulate the industry too under government mandate since the 1920s: APEGGA CSPG CSEG Oil industry groups have performed a self-policing role and lobbied all levels of government since the 1920s: CAPP SEPAC

A Brief History of Utility and Energy Resource Regulation in Alberta

1915 - PUB created. 1932 - TVGCB established. 1933/34 - TVGCB abandoned. 1936 - PUB given jurisdiction to

regulate and licence fuel dealers. 1937 - PUB relieved of some non-

utility responsibilities. 1938 - Pet and Nat Gas Conservation

Board (PNGCB) established. 1944 - Alberta Natural Gas Utilities

Board created to address monopolistic behavior in the Turner Valley field and Calgary natural gas market.

1949 - Responsibility for approving provincial pipelines transferred from Dep of Public Works to the PNGCB.

1950 - Oil and Gas Resources Conservation Act rewritten to “consolidate regulatory authority firmly in the embrace of the Conservation Board”

1954 - PUB given jurisdiction to set natural gas transportation rates on a complaints basis.

1957 - PNGCB renamed the Oil and Gas Conservation Board.

1958 - Pipelines moved to jurisdiction of the Department of Mines and Minerals.

1960 - Gas Utilities Act introduced, to be administered by PUB.

1970 - PUB relieved of expropriations. 1971 - Oil and Gas Conservation

Board renamed the ERCB’s role expanded to include hydro and electric energy resources as well as coal.

1995 - ERCB and PUB functionally merge forming the AEUB. Can Inst of Resource Law #105–2009



G O V E R N M E N T Continued…

7e. 1932, 1938 AB enacts conservation legislation 7f. 1939-45 Wartime issues 7g. 1942 Dr Brown’s TV oilfield conservation plan 7h. 1948 study into gas exports Pipelines link this topic to the technology and transportation themes…

-Conservation Board set flaring limits, drilling parcel size, ordered unitization to allow for orderly pace of growth and use of resource -Though government had the power to limit the process, oil companies often fought regulation to the Supreme Court -Royalties issue also became key (1931, 1941, 1951, 1961) and oil revenue became a larger source of income than booze taxes in 1950 -Efficient development, and later, conservation were key reasons for government control of oil business -Feds eventually patterned the National Energy Board after AB’s ERCB

-1936 Royalties system of financing wells introduced -1938 AB Oil and Gas Con Act, AB Pet&Nat Gas Con Board formed -Royal Commission struck re: petroleum-1939 Con Board restricts production -1941 Allied War Supplies Corp. est. -1942 Brown’s TV conserv. plan -1943 Ottawa est. Wartime Oils to fund wildcat wells -1944 AB Natural Gas Utilities Board created -1948 Dinning Comm reviews AB’s gas reserves for export -1949 Canada–Pipe Lines Act -1950 AB issues first gas export permit and first leg of InterProvincial Pipeline built

How oil benefited Alberta, as interpreted by Social Credit premier Ernest Manning…

PA-664/2 At bottom right, note:

“Provincial Historic Site Marking Program”

Evolution of government regulation – overview As the petroleum exploitation process expanded, the Alberta government forced industry to create public utility pipelines so as to assure access to markets for independent producers as well as multinational companies operating in the province. Alberta royal commissions into the operations of industry in 1938 and 1948 assured the public interest was preserved, Provincial governments became increasingly dependent on oil royalties and other income for a major portion of the annual budget. Since 1936, the year AB declared bankruptcy, the province has boasted surplus budgets more than 50 of the last 75 years – and oil revenue has provided most of this wealth. Petroleum income will continue to finance this province for decades to come, making this part of the interpretation always current.



8. SOCIAL HISTORY 8. S O C I A L H I S T O R Y Everyday life was changed for people in this oilfield, and in AB and the rest of the West

8a. Living conditions to 1914 8b. Living conditions to 1924 8c. Living conditions to 1931 8d. Living conditions to 1936

Thesis: Life changed after the discovery of oil in Alberta – here’s how… Ranching, farming and hunting were the way of life for most folk before oil Sweet wet gas was a curiosity and fuelled the few cars and trucks in area High pressure gas from #4 created jobs, gas for homes, spurred on development work in booming oilfield Depression hit AB hard and drilling almost ended in field but 1936 well found crude oil

Notes here are informational (See Comments column and Mindnode 7) Few locals had any contact with oil -Turner brothers a family of ranchers Boom of 1914 short-lived, and few people did oil work -Brown family of drillers moved away 1924 boom attracted thousands of people to jobs and allowed for development of most social systems – roads, hospital, schools, banks…

Brown family of drillers c 1914 NA-5535-9

Metal oilman at Petrolia today – one of many all over the oilfield…

ATCO supplies natural gas – an social benefit TransAlta Utilities supplied power to the gas plant, oil facilities and oilfield villages that helped it survive the 1930s and continues serve the ‘patch Telus/AGT provided phones to the oilfield during 1920s when only Edmonton and Calgary had more telephone lines Other utilities, companies, institutions and organizations have deep roots in the TV oilfield social story

Social history overlaps with other themes, including: Labour Unions Safety Deaths/injury Water/sewer Housing Businesses Transportation Education Medical care Government Banking Crime Commerce Investment Natives Ethnicity-American labour problem Gas/electricity Flaring Politics Wartime shortages Security issues Unemployment Hours of work Swimming pool Hell’s Half Acre …many more…



S O C I A L H I S T O R Y continued

8e. Living conditions to 1939 8f. Living conditions to 1947 8g. Post WWII boom in oil patch took many people away from the Valley to other oilfields

Excess oil justified pipeline to refineries in Saskatchewan as well as to Winnipeg WWII boom largest ever, creating most change in field Experienced Turner Valley oilmen worked oilfields across Canada and around the world – becoming exposed to new social customs Everyday life in Turner Valley continues to be affected by oil industry legacy Booms and busts always dominate Alberta’s story, with ongoing attempts to balance competing forces and an unpredictable future

Bust ended period of meteoric growth -All Imperial’s drillers eventually were laid off -Relief provided by village and Royalite Boom of 1936 lasted until end of WWII and caused creation of many social systems typical of society today Wartime restrictions and conditions held expansion in check

“Oh me! Here we go–automobiles, colleges, taxes!”

Calgary beer at Royalite party

P2772

P2685

NA-2895-11

See Mindnode 7 on page 25 for more ideas on ways to interpret the social history of the oil field …

See also “Top 100 Things to DO at TVGPHS” listing on page 26



Top 100 things to DO at the TVGPHS

Thesis: Doing things at the TVGP that you can’t (or don’t) do anywhere else makes the experience memorable and entices the visitor to return time and time again and bring others.....

“Build a pipeline” by hand with other students, using plastic pipe and tools day

Screw pipe together by hand, a technique used before welded joints Snap a granny rag, used to coat a pipeline with tar

Pick up a rubber pick and shovel for pretend to be pipelining for a photograph “Light a flare” by throwing a rock in a rag past a flare – it just won’t be on fire

Help build a wooden rig using boards, large hammer and square nails Do a scavenger hunt with a clipboard/pencil to find “treasures” like the swastika

Play a game of “wildcatter chess” on outdoor board - wildcats, dry holes, blowouts Learn to play guitar songs about the Alberta oil patch – sheet music supplied

Find a “gas seep” and light it on fire Use a real outhouse – just like the biffies that were common everywhere!

Make a security pass like ones used during WWII to gain entry into the gas plant Squeeze “oil” out of “rock” by compressing plant matter with a wine press Explore for “oil rocks” along the riverbank while using a geologist hammer

Manually operate the first wet gas compressor and “separate” liquids from the gas “Push oil” through a pipeline with a hand pump to see the effort involved

Grate a potato and apply a “poultice” to your eyes for “gassed eyes” exposure to H2S Fish in Sheep Creek – upstream of the plant as was done throughout history

Gather rose hips and make necklaces like the first family who lived at the plant Set a trapline for rabbits with snares like driller Joe Brown’s kids did in 1913

“Hear a compressor” in the plant – sound recreation/actual working unit Feel a cable tool rig drilling by holding the manila rope attached to a moving bit

Help build a wooden barrel using wood staves and metal hoops Scrape ice off a cold pipeline to make ice cream

Shovel coal into a “steam boiler” for the plant or a drilling rig

Use pencil and paper to draw plans for a rig Bail “oil” out of a “well” in the ground with a bailer Roll a wooden barrel along a ramp to a platform for loading barrels of oil on a truck At the Dingman No. 1 rig floor, float paper on the “gas” coming out of a “well” Help put up and old style wall tent like the ones used by workers in the 1920s Help stock a basket with food for destitute in 1930s Make a panoramic picture of the gas plant site – and compare it to one from 1926 Dress like an oilman, operator, labourer Take H2S training - then “just lean away!” and now with a Scott air pack Construct a steel drilling rig - with a mechano set Act as a guard by hiking around perimeter of gas plant with wooden WWII “rifle” Tie an oil workers shack to a tree with a cable during flood Help build an oil workers shack – and take it apart Walk a pipeline inspection with an “oilman” and learn how to spot leaks Apply gravel to a muddy road with a shovel and a wheelbarrow Play with the dog that lives at the gas plant Blast off a “wet well” with water and get “wet” Fill a wooden or steel barrel with oil and see how heavy it gets Walk a wooden beam along the ground like the rig builders did up high Memorize oil patch jokes to tell to others Look into the “past” through a telescope that allows you to see historic 3D images Carry a tin of “nitroglycerine” – carefully! – used to increase production Play hockey with Turner Valley Oilers in a t-shirt that is for sale at the gift shop Sound the plant’s “noon steam whistle” by pulling a lever at 12 o’clock “Capture” nature gas at the seepage with supervision – and then light it on fire



Be a driller for a cable tool or rotary rig at booths with mockups of the controls “Fly over the gas plant” in an aircraft simulator, or with historic film footage

Feed the gas plant chickens - the site had them in 1912... Buy and apply a bumper sticker: “I Saw the Turner Valley Gusher - Did You?"

Push a wooden wheelbarrow around the site Run a “separator” and take “oil” off “wet gas” – water off of steam

Walk across the swinging bridge across Sheep Creek and up to a lookout Hear the sounds and learn to identify different machines

Buy a “May 1914” newspaper – reprints of Calgary Herald and Calgary Albertan Mail a postcard from the Gas Plant Post Office - TOL OIL (can we get this code?)

Buy "Turner Valley 1914" stamps – real or commemorative March in the Diamond Valley parade like an oil worker in May each year

Celebrate Oil City - an early name for Turner Valley Eat an Oil Baron Burger at a local restaurant Cut firewood with a cross-cut saw and compare the effort with turning natural gas Gauge an oil tank with a tape measure and do the math to see how much is in it Extinguish a fire at “a wild well” with a foam fire extinguisher from the period Dine with the Governor General in a tent, as was done in 1914 Become a character for a day: labourer, plant manager, pipeliner, guard, operator Experience a 3D presentation with sound, wind, smell, shaking floor… Show off your own Model T Ford at a show and shine at the TVGP (Visitors could chose from options to make it more “personal”) Okay…this is only 71, but more will pop up…

Group of Royalite Employees, Turner Valley, Alta, March 1926. PAA 85.51 1&2



9. RECLAMATION 9. R E C L A M A T I O N

9a. 1912 Drilling liquids disposal 9b. 1914 Gas waste flared to produce liquids 9c. 1921 Gas pushed to Calgary 9d. 1925 Scrubbing plant vented H2S towers until 1952

Thesis: Industry has always contained, treated and remediated oilfield waste and sites to a level appropriate to the times, and those standards have evolved in 100 yrs. -The TVGP site allows us to review the management of drilling, processing and other waste and explain how treatment of by-products changed through time. -Gas waste was turned into a profitable product and shipped by pipeline to Calgary

Interp ideas to follow – the notes below review how wastes were treated and why… Earliest wells simply dumped drilling waste over the bank into Sheep Creek – see NA-246-1 >>>>> Gas flaring was a safe way of disposing of an explosive “waste” byproduct from the process of taking the liquids off wet gas from early wells H2S venting was an acceptable method of diluting the toxic waste product until elemental sulphur found a market in the 1950s

NA-246-1 Dingman #1

Cuttings and mud from the first well were simply dumped down the bank into Sheep Creek

Engineering firms with waste management experience CAODC – Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors ERCB Orphan Wells program Environment department University programs…

The waste topic fits every part of the plant tour and story…so this theme can be woven in everywhere Reclamation according to the ERCB, is defined as, to “suspend and abandon inactive upstream oil and gas facilities properly and safely…. contain[ment] and recover all free produced fluids….assess the extent and degree of contamination, and develop and implement a remediation plan…. decontaminate active and inactive upstream oil and gas facilities….manage all upstream petroleum wastes….manage in situ treatment of contaminated soils, sludges, and water…. conduct surface land reclamation, and closure monitoring….obtain a Reclamation Certificate from AEP or AAFRD once an inactive upstream oil and gas facility has met the appropriate certification requirements.” ERCB IL 98-2 – emphasis added



R E C L A M A T I O N continued

9e. 1930 gas injected into Bow Island field 9f. 1933 Gasoline plant takes off liquids 9g. 1938 Compressors installed 9h. WWII products made 9i. 1952 Sulphur plant built 9j. 1985 plant decommissioned

-Gas was eventually re-injected into the depleted Bow Island sweet gas reservoir during summer months and then used in cold periods to supply Calgary and southern AB communities – at first under own pressure, then with compression -Wartime demand for isobutane and pentanes for aviation fuel and other products opened up new markets for TVGP byproducts -1952 Sulphur plant built to make elemental sulphur -1985 plant closing the final operational stage of TVGP

“Waste” gas that had been flared due to a lack of markets in the 1920s was captured at Turner Valley in the summer and re-injected into an old gas field and then brought online during winter demand – this is done today in AB Liquids that had been burned as “waste” at the gas plant were captured in gasoline plant and sold Sulphur and propane recovery are the most recent examples of products that were vented of flared at the TVGP before being sold as valuable products



R E C L A M A T I O N continued

9k. 2005 ? Building and site remediation 9l. 2007 ? Berm construction 9m. 2009 Dingman #2 abandonment 9n. 2009+ ongoing monitoring and maintenance

-Reclamation work is the final stage in the evolution of this industrial site -Remediation and treatment of the site is an example of the permanent liability associated with industrial development and can be used as a learning tool for all generations of visitors to the site -Maintaining an industrial site also provides a living example of an environmental geoscience project

Cleaning up the site included dealing with: Asbestos Mercury Product-vessels/pipes Petroleum Biohazards Ground water Soil contamination Flooding/threats to the river River diversion Interpretation could include materials about: Plant decommissioning Environmental studies Effects on site tours River containment barrier Water treatment plant Monitoring Maintenance Local support/opposition Minister’s panel process



10. SITE DEVELOPMENT 10. S I T E D E V E L O P M E N T

10.a Pre-oil use by natives 10.b Ranching 10.c Drilling and gasoline production 10.d Gas processing 10.e Liquids and sulphur processing 10.f Idle historic site

Thesis: The TVGP evolved greatly through time, much like other AB industrial sites The TVGP is the history of Alberta in one compact site In 100 years this property has gone from land used by nomadic people through use as a highly developed industrial site and on to a post-industrial stage where its role is to interpret the early history of petroleum in western Canada The site evolved in stages, as required by its ability to provide products Site tours displayed plant for a time

Interpretive ideas for this theme will be worked into other parts of the project as this topic seems to fit well as a subset of the topics discussed above To 1880s – Native land -1887 Ranchland for Turner bros. -1912 Exploration drilling site for CPP -1914 Sweet gas and liquids site -1924 Sour gas and liquids production -1939 Wartime oil products -1952 Sulphur and propane

P 1735

The site has entertained visitors since May of 1914



S I T E D E V E L O P M E N T continued

10.g Risk assessment of site 10.h Reclamation of the historic site 10.h TVGP minister’s panel work and recommen-dations

Risk assessment set priorities for cleanup – see comments>>> Expensive and lengthy site work eventually brought site up to current safety standards Culture minister’s panel reviewed work to date and suggested interp. of the site to the public according to expanded 1998 Development Plan– see comments>>> Panel process itself should be part of interpretation as well as the berm by the river and the water treatment facility – all of which bring the historic site’s story into focus in the present

-to 1985 - operating gas plant -1995-2005 tour site 1998 O’Connor risk assessment of site -2000(?)-2010 reclamation site Process during 2006 and 2007 was open to public and panel held meeting for community

TVGP panel members at overlook

Risk Management Plan identified: Asbestos, biohazards, physical hazards, mercury, hydrocarbons, sulphur and lead-based paints (Panel 2007) Panel supported Development Plan conclusions: “A highly significant site, the TVGP has great potential as a regional tourist attraction. The quality of the heritage resources and the connection between the plant and the Turner Valley Oil Field make it an ideal place to interpret the evolution of Alberta’s oil and gas industry, its changing technologies and markets, and the importance of the industry to the communities that grew up around it.” (Panel, 2007)



S I T E D E V E L O P M E N T continued

10.i Preparation for 2014 centennial celebrations 10.j Ongoing site development, interpretation

Centennial activities can celebrate the 1914 discovery, officially “open” the site to the public, link today’s industry to past and present the story of Alberta oil as a living, ongoing, fascinating and ever-changing part of our birthright Rooted in the very place where the Alberta oil patch was born, the gas plant at oilfield at Turner Valley will always be the central interpretive facility for the industry in the Canadian West

-2010-2014 Ramping up of interpretation and sponsorship and partners as a way to prepare for huge event on site, 14 May 2014 As a centre for education about the oil industry, programming can constantly change, building on a vast archive of stories, writings, interviews, movies, people, associations, agencies, companies and all levels of government with a vested interest in this site…

Self-styled interpreter turning nobs…

See Mindnode 9 on page 34 for ideas on how this story comes to life for people in all walks of life… See Mindnode 10 on page 35 for research products still needed to help tell the TVGP and oilfield story… See Mindnode 11 on page 36 for details on how today’s events are rooted in the Turner Valley story…



Night was as day due to the massive flaring of “waste” natural gas in Turner Valley, Alberta – Glenbow PA-574-857

Turner Valley Gas Plant National and Provincial Historic Site ...

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