Hard Oiler!

Robert W. Sexty is a professor of commerce and business administration
at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the author of Canadian
Business: Issues and Stakeholders.

A trivia challenge: What was the location of the first commercial oil
well in North America? What Canadian province has been continuously
producing oil for over 140 years? What is a hard oiler? If answers
cannot be provided to these questions, the author’s claim that
Canada’s role in the petroleum industry has not been fully told is
confirmed. Although oil had been used for some time in locations where
it appeared naturally on the surface, the first commercial well was
drilled in Southwestern Ontario’s Lambton County in 1858. The
beginnings of the petroleum industry have been attributed to Americans,
but it was another full year before a similar development took place in
Pennsylvania; Ontario has been an oil-producing province ever since.
Hard oilers were those adventurers, or wildcatters, who committed
themselves to the search for oil, first in Ontario and afterward around
the world.

In 15 chapters, the author, a journalist and currently the editor of
the Ottawa Citizen, attempts to tell the story of the discovery and
quest for oil and to convey the importance of what happened in Lambton
County. A brief early history of oil is given, followed by an account of
the initial exploration and production efforts. Even the first attempts
at a cartel are outlined. Several chapters record the activities of
Canadian hard oilers who contributed to the exploration for, and
production of, oil around the world.

The book relies on anecdotal accounts and is a compilation of
information about places, people, incidents, and events rather than a
neatly woven story. Short paragraphs reflect the author’s journalism
background and detract from the smooth recounting of the story. However,
May’s account is well researched and supported by extensive footnoting
and bibliographic references. Appendixes present additional details, and
an index is included.

Readers of Hard Oiler! will learn not only the answers to trivia
questions but also about an unknown period in the history of the
Canadian petroleum industry.