Oil Springs Social History Project

In preparation for the 2011 UNESCO World Heritage Site Designation bid, Lambton County’s Oil Museum of Canada is undertaking a new project. The Oil Springs Social History Project will explain what the community of Oil Springs looked like when its population exploded as a result of the discovery of ‘Black Gold’. Described as a site of great national and international significance, the oil fields continue to flow today using much of the technology which made this sleepy town a bustling community in the 1850s and 60s. Currently under investigation by industry experts, MHBC Planning and Historica Inc., preparations are being made for heritage designations. This project will serve to supplement and advance their work by exploring the social implications of the rapid development which followed the discovery of oil, particularly at the height of the land boom and the discovery of the first gushing wells.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Michelle A. Hamilton

Student:

Meaghan Nelligan

Partner:

Oil Museum of Canada

Discipline:

History

Sector:

Oil and gas

University:

Western University