Field Notes The story of the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists David Finch © Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists Publications of the Society may be obtained from: Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists ISBN 0920230-01-6 160, 540 - 5th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta T2P 0M2 Calgary, Alberta, Canada June 2002 Canada Phone: (403) 264-5610 Designed and printed by McAra Printing, Calgary, Fax: (403) 264-5898 Canada Website: www.cspg.org <http://www.cspg.org> PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists is an The Society’s records date to the founding meeting in internationally-recognized organization dedicated 1927 and provide an excellent foundation upon primarily to the dissemination of technical which we built this short review. Over the years information relevant to the exploration for and the several geologists have summarized part of the development of petroleum resources. In doing so it Society‘s history, including Joe Irwin in the 1966, Jack has established a wide spectrum of activities ranging Webb in 1972 and Bill Ayrton in 1976. Don Weir, from regular and theme publications to conventions, Don Axford, Jack Porter, Aubrey Kerr and others have field trips and short courses. It has allowed its also contributed to this goal. Presidential reviews members and those participating in its activities to sometimes provided a multi-year perspective. network with their counterparts throughout the Members of the Archives and History Committee kept industry. While always trying to fulfill its mandate as this project alive and have included Dave a national organization, the Calgary-based Society Monachello, Colin Yeo, Jack Porter, Bill McLellan and has been able to take advantage of its globally unique Clint Tippett. In 1997 Aubrey Kerr began contributing situation of having such a high concentration of its a regular historical column to the Reservoir , a task he members in one location. Being able to attract almost handed on to Jack Porter in 2001, and these columns one thousand interested listeners to its bi-monthly have also helped tell the story of the Society. The late luncheon talks has made it the envy of other groups Rory Hankel of the Publications Committee supported for whom this would be only an annual event. the creation of a history of the Society for many years. The CSPG is like the proverbial elephant – it is different things to different people. Some value it for Many past Presidents agreed to be interviewed by the its technical contributions and eagerly participate in Petroleum Industry Oral History Project and reflected the activities that support this work, whether that be on their time on the Society Executive as part of that publications or conventions. Others see it as a process. Aubrey Kerr, Jack Porter, Alice Payne, Kathy “people” organization and wish to facilitate the Scales and Clint Tippett critiqued this manuscript establishment of ties amongst those already in the and Bill Ayrton and Gordon Williams graciously Society and industry as well as to other communities. entertained many last-minute questions. Don Glass, a Up-and-coming university students (through the long-time editor of Society publications, gave the Student Industry Field Trip), other geological manuscript a gracious penultimate read with an organizations (through the Canadian Geoscience insightful eye and a sharp pencil. My thanks also go Council) and occasionally the broader political world to the many, many other Society members who (as in the Mount Logan controversy) have all been contributed to this project in ways large and small. influenced by our Society. At one stage there was also Lindsay Moir provided the final text editing – thanks a regulatory flavour but that has been largely so much. Special thanks also go to Doug Cass and superseded by the Association of Professional the staff of the Glenbow Archives and Library for Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta. I their ongoing contribution to the preservation of the would like to thank our author, David Finch, for history of the petroleum industry. And finally, Clint pulling these strands together into the compelling Tippett deserves mention again as the driving and story of a mature but still vibrant Society. directing force in the last few months before the celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary; the Clinton R. Tippett Society owes this publication to his vision, Archives and History Committee Chair determination and wisdom. David Finch - Historian April 14, 2002 Front Cover: C.E. Michener, G.S. Inside Front Cover: Imperial Oil Back Cover: Shell Oil of Canada Hume and C.O. Hage on Mt. Rowe, geologists Dick, King, Sydie, Link and geologists Andy Chunta (left) and Bob Waterton-Flathead Area, 1932. McQueen at Peace River, 1920. Greggs (right) field mapping in the (Glenbow Archives PA-574-250) (Glenbow Archives NA-3232-89) Castle River area, 1956. (Shell Canada Limited 001205) Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: Creating A Society 1927 . Page 1 CHAPTER 2: The Early Days 1928 to 1946 . Page 9 CHAPTER 3: The Big Fields 1947 to 1959 . Page 15 CHAPTER 4: A Growing Society 1960 to 1972 . Page 21 CHAPTER 5: Boom Times 1973 to 1979 . Page 29 CHAPTER 6: A Time of Struggle 1980 to 1989 . Page 37 CHAPTER 7: Maturing with the Industry 1990 to 2002 . Page 45 Index . Page 58 Frank Beales, cleaning unconformity, Banff area 1949. (CSPG Collection) GSC camp near head of Big Plume Creek, Saskatchewan, 1883, by G.M. Dawson. (Glenbow Archives NA-302-5) ) 4 2 - 3 6 4 - A N s e Need for a society . v i h c “As more geologists joined in r A the search for oil in Alberta, it w o became more and more b n apparent that some medium e l for an exchange of ideas was G ( needed. 1 2 9 - Glen Ruby 1 , l l e d d a W George Dawson, third from left, and party in front of “The H.B.C. Fort Misery” at Fort McLeod, B.C., 1879. W (Glenbow Archives NA-302-7) CHAPTER 1: Creating A Society 1927 In the beginning . “It happened in this way,” wrote founding member T.B. Williams many years later. “In the autumn of 1926 P.D. Moore and I arranged to lunch together once a week at the Empress Cafeteria. There we discussed the affairs, geological and other, which were interesting us. The numbers at the meeting grew and when Link returned in 1927 [from his Ph.D. studies] he suggested that a formal organization should be set up.” And so this informal group created the Alberta Society of Petroleum Geologists (APSG) at an organizational meeting in December 1927. They Detail of J.B. Tyrrell map showing Red Deer River, Alberta, 1887. based the Society on the American Association (Glenbow Archives NA-789-55) of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). The Society received a charter in early 1928 from the quest was mineral wealth, specifically for coal provincial government and seventy- and water for steam engines, but also for five years later geologists are “Then came an salt and any other economically profitable celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of ‘inspired’ press article minerals to help fire the Canadian version what is now the Canadian Society of damaging to the new of the industrial revolution. Only by industry. Saturday accident did those who followed discover Petroleum Geologists. Night , on November 20, 1926, took a the vast hydrocarbon potential of the page, including a Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Four wise men . map, to enquire, “Is But what were geologists doing in There Oil in Alberta?” The Canadian oil industry dates back to the Canadian west so many years – Society founder 1858 when the first commercial North before the famous 1947 discovery of T. B. Williams American petroleum came out of a well oil at Imperial Leduc No. 1? As John dug into the ground by hand near Allan, the first Vice-President of the Petrolia, Ontario. Small discoveries of ASPG and the founder of the Department of natural gas at Pelican Point on the Athabasca Geology at the University of Alberta in 1912, River in northern Alberta (1898) and in wrote: “In the period from 1873 to 1910, four southern Alberta at Langevin (1883), Medicine ‘wise men’ from the east (Ottawa), Selwyn, Hat (1890), Bow Island (1909) and Turner Valley Tyrrell, McConnell and Dowling had observed (1914) as well as of crude oil at Waterton (1901) and recorded several important pages on the all teased and hinted. But the discovery by the geology of Alberta, of which there are still many Royalite No. 4 well of highly pressured sour wet uncut pages.” gas in the Mississippian limestone flowing at a rate of 24 million cubic feet per day from the These early wise men were not “petroleum” 3740 foot level at Turner Valley in 1924 was the geologists – though they knew of the tar sands. first major find. Subsequent drilling expanded The easterners were explorers, in the employ of the Turner Valley Field and led to significant the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). Their crude oil discoveries in the 1930s and 1940s. 1 Alberta produced only 844 barrels of oil and gas condensate in 1924 compared to Ontario’s 154,368 (423 bpd) but it galloped past Ontario in 1925 to produce 183,491 (503 bpd) or 67 percent of the total Canadian supply. In 1926 Alberta boasted six refineries and thirty-three oil companies. Twenty-two gas producers worked fields at Wainwright-Fabyan, Redcliff, Viking, Wetaskiwin, Medicine Hat, Bassano, Turner Valley flaring, c. 1920s. (Glenbow Archives PA-574-857) Suffield, Foremost, Bow Island and Turner Valley. By 1930 Alberta’s production reached 1,396,160 barrels (3,825 bpd), or 92 percent of the Canadian supply.