First Oil Well in Western Canada

Located in Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta you'll find this small monument and National Historic Site of Canada dedicated to the first oil well established in Western Canada.

Drilling began in 1901 and oil was struck in 1902 at a depth of 311 metres. This well never reached its expected potential of 300 barrels per day, however the brief success did kick off Alberta's speculative oil boom in the early 20th Century. The rest, as they say, is history.